Tech
Papershow Review
September 5, 2008
Papershow is a new presentation device that I’ve had the opportunity to preview and test out. Papershow is basically a package that comprises a bluetooth pen device and a USB memory stick/bluetooth dongle that pair together and work with a pad of ‘digital paper’ (paper with a grid on to enable the motion tracking) that’s included in the pack.
The idea is that Papershow substitutes for a whiteboard, flip chart or traditional minute taking, making it easy to convey ideas during the meeting, save the results and share them after the event. This functionality will be familiar to those who have electronic smartboards, but this new technology is much cheaper and can be used wherever you can take a laptop or have a computer/projector system provided at your meeting/conference venue.
Continue reading »Google Chrome Browser
September 4, 2008
I downloaded Google Chrome browser on launch day for XP/Vista (the only version available for the moment, although Mac and Linux versions are to follow) and the phrase “bare bones” just doesn’t quite say enough about this minimalist offering. Those used to IE7 won’t be too disturbed by the lack of a menu bar, although pressing the “Alt” key won’t do anything in Google Chrome. Oddly, the home button is not on-screen by default - You have to enable it in settings.
The only tinkering you’ll be doing is by clicking the spanner in the top right corner, which leads to a VERY basic config menu. With tabs such as “Minor Tweaks” and “Under The Hood”, it isn’t going to replace you installation of Firefox and it’s 214 plug-ins. I don’t think that’s what Chrome is about though, it’s designed as a solid cloud-computing platform, which it is.
Continue reading »Windows Mobile iPhone Theme
September 4, 2008
Have you seen the Windows Mobile iPhone themes that are out on the Internet? I have a Windows Mobile phone, however one of the things it lacks if the iPhone theme which is a very intuitive and cool looking user interface that Apple has come up with - it certainly is very different from your regular style of user interface that you get on most mobile phones.
In the year since it first appeared, it’s had a real influence on other how other manufacturers are developing their own interfaces, however I’ve yet to find one that truly rivals it.
Continue reading »LG KC910 Preview
September 3, 2008
The LG KC910 has been unveiled in a preview post over at the LG Blog – this mobile phone will be the successor to the LG Viewty which we reviewed here at Zath when it was launched in the run-up to last Christmas.
The LG KC910’s headline features will be its 8 Megapixel camera, 3” fully touchscreen 240×400 pixel display and three physical function buttons. Here’s a list of some of the specifications that we can expect to see from this new LG cameraphone:
Continue reading »Play TV (PS3)
August 31, 2008
Sony has recently announced a price and release date for ‘Play TV’.
Play TV is a digital receiver that enables you to watch Freeview through your PS3 and use it as a recorder as well. So you can watch one program and record another or record two programmes at once. All of your recordings will be saved on the PS3’s hard drive so you’ll be able to watch them back whenever you like.
Continue reading »Sky HD Review
August 30, 2008
I’ve been looking at buying Sky HD on and off for over a year now, basically since I got a my Samsung 32″ LCD HDTV. Up until now I’ve been using an upscaling DVD player to bring my viewing closer to High Definition quality.
I’ve been waiting for the prices to drop on the initial cost of the Sky High Definition box and the HD additional monthly subscription – in that time the cost of the box has about halved in price to around £150 for existing customers. The £10 additional monthly fee remains for the High Definition subscription, however I looked at it that you’re getting a much higher quality viewing experience for the sake of £2.50 per week - around the cost of your favourite beverage while you’re out and about - decent value I think!
Continue reading »PC Wii Remote - Asus Eee Stick
August 27, 2008
Asus have come up with the Eee Stick which is essentially a PC Wii remote. The PC’s answer to Nintendo’s impressive Wii Remote?
Asus will be selling the Eee Stick with certain models of their Eee Pc and Eee box, as well as some of the games that have been made for use with the Eee Stick.
There’s no news yet as to whether or not the Eee stick will be sold separately to be used with other PC’s.
Continue reading »EcoButton
August 19, 2008
The EcoButton is a cool USB gadget that saves you money and fights global warming! I can practically hear your tuts of disbelief back at Zath HQ. But seriously this little eco-friendly gizmo will do exactly that and even has the balls to gloat about it too!
I am talking about the EcoButton. Essentially it is a large nicely lit button that plugs into a USB port and once clicked puts your machine into “Eco Mode”. This allows your computer to go into a standby mode that only uses 1.8 watts of power (apparently that is loads less then most normal standby modes). “who cares” and “nothing new” I thought when I first saw it, but I decided to look a little deeper.
Continue reading »Mobile Broadband (UK)
August 17, 2008
You might be thinking “why do I need mobile broadband internet?” - Well I’ve recently come to realise that this would be a great addition to my gadget bag, it means I don’t need to rely on the places I visit having wireless internet access. For instance, many coffee shops/hotels still do not provide any form of wireless broadband internet, or if they do, it is often charged at an expensive rate.
Therefore by having a mobile broadband USB dongle (card), it gives you the convenience of working/surfing the internet anywhere with a mobile network signal, in my experience there are very few places these days that don’t have any signal at all. It also makes for a great backup in the event your ADSL or cable connection go down and you still need to access the Internet, particularly important if it involves your work!
Continue reading »Dell Studio Hybrid
August 14, 2008
The Dell Studio Hybrid is the latest new Dell product range being released - I got to take a sneak-peek at it at the recent Dell Studio Laptop launch at Silverstone, so here’s what I thought to it…
Do you still have one of those large, noisy, beige boxes of a computer sat on your desk? Do you like the idea of minimalist computing like you often see with Apple Macs? The Studio Hybrid is a new breed of computer from Dell.
The Dell Hybrid is a highly compact desktop computer which Dell has really tried to make as green as possible – in the environmental sense at least, the actual case features an interchangeable ‘shell’ casing that comes in a variety of colours see-through colours as well as a bamboo casing which gives it a real distinctive look - it certainly fits well in with their design-conscious Dell Studio Laptop range.
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