Handy Gadgets

Surprise that special someone this season with a gift of the four modular resin lamps that make up the TwistaLamp package available from ThinkGeek for $99.99. 'LED's has given decorative lighting a brand new lease on life. Low power, bright and tiny, LED lights have opened up new ideas and new ways to jazz up your workspace. A pair of fine Brooklyn designers created these hand-cast resin bricks that can be connected in a variety of configurations. Each brick has four connectors that let you link up to another brick either inline or offset, and twisted 90 degrees. Each package contains four bricks, but you can link as many as twenty-four of them into a single chain of high-fashion lighting.'

Source ThinkGeek

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 4:27 PM | Permalink

A review of the Vivitar Vivicam 6200W waterproof camera has been posted over at Computeractive. 'This chunky model from Vivitar is hard to mislay in its jaunty yellow body, though some users may feel that the design makes it look more like a toy than a serious camera. It can take pictures safely at depths of up to 10 metres. Snorkelling, then, is an option, and deeper sea exploration as well. Every button and switch has a rubberised housing and there are locks to make sure the camera is really sealed into place before you jump into the water to capture the life aquatic. The buttons are large, which does make it easier to use underwater.'

Read: Review: Vivitar Vivicam 6200W digital camera - Computeractive

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 10:20 PM | Permalink

Besa Lighting has introduced the "Pahu" family of double glass ceiling pendants which are handcrafted of European glass and designed with transparent-colored, outer glass cylinder that surrounds smaller opal glass cylinder. 'The Pahu 8 pendant is 7.875" x 9.875" high and uses a single 100-watt A19 incandescent lamp. The Pahu 12 Glass is 11.75" x 10.625" tall and uses a 100-watt A19 incandescent lamp. The Pahu 16 is 15.75" in diameter and 11.75" in height, with a 150-watt A21 incandescent lamp.'

Read: Besa Lighting Introduces "Pahu" Double Glass Pendants

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:18 PM | Permalink

CNET have published a review of the Amazon Kindle portable reader which lets customers wirelessly download electronic books, blogs, magazines and newspapers to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, 'First off, while the Kindle may not be a whole new class of device (electronic-book readers have been around for a number of years), it joins the Sony Reader in making the e-book reader category a whole lot sexier and buzzworthy. While the Sony PRS-505 ($300) is the sleeker of the two devices, the Kindle is the more revolutionary in that it has a free built-in wireless connection that allows you to tap into Amazon's vast online bookstore from just about anywhere you can access Sprint's EVDO cellular data network. In many ways, the Kindle is similar to the Sony Reader. At 10.3 ounces, the Kindle weighs about an ounce more and is slightly bigger, measuring 7.5 inches high by 5.3 inches wide by 0.7 inch deep. But both devices have 4.9-by-3.6-inch (6-inch diagonal), 600 x 800-pixel screens that use E Ink technology, which serves to make the letters and words on the screen look more printlike in their appearance--it's quite impressive if you haven't seen the technology in action before. Technically, it's an electrophoretic display, which Wikipedia describes as "an information display that forms visible images by rearranging charged pigment particles using an applied electric field." The Kindle's screen has 4 scales of gray and 167 pixels per inch, while the Sony's has 8 scales of gray and 170 pixels per inch, which means the Sony offers a little more in the way of contrast and is slightly easier to read.

Read: Amazon Kindle - CNET

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:16 PM | Permalink

A review of the Microsoft Xbox 360 (20GB) game console has been posted over at CNET. ‘When laid horizontally, the 8.8-pound Xbox 360 is 12.15 inches wide, 3.27 inches high, and 10.15 inches deep, and it's actually slightly smaller than the original Xbox, which also weighed in at 8.8 pounds. Unlike the original, the Xbox 360 can also be propped up in a vertical position and, as you're probably aware, can be customized with interchangeable faceplates that cost as much as $20. Custom faceplates aside, it's worth pointing out that the beige color of the system tends to clash with the silver and black of typical AV components. One of the reasons Microsoft was able to keep down the 360's weight is that instead of building a standard, desktop-style hard drive into the unit itself, it's gone with a smaller--and more expensive--laptop-style hard drive that's detachable from the main unit. However, unlike the PS3, which accepts any standard 2.5-inch laptop drive, the 360's drive is encased in a proprietary snap-on module. You can upgrade to a larger 120GB model for around $180--but if you're already interested in that much storage, save some money and just pick up the 120GB Xbox 360 Elite instead.’

Read: Microsoft Xbox 360 (20GB) - CNET

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:18 PM | Permalink

Pocket Lint have published a review of the Philips WACS7000 wireless music station. 'In terms of aesthetics we loved the stainless steel and black finish, which has a nice retro feel and would add plenty of impact to an audio setup in the home. The initial setup comprises of an audio center and audio station, both of which have their own built in speakers and both offer a similar range of features. The center is the main hub of the setup though, containing an 80GB hard drive and CD player that can automatically rip discs to digitally encoded formats using the Gracenote music service to fill in track information.'

Read: Philips WACS7000 media streamer Review - Pocket Lint

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:09 PM | Permalink

14U News have published a review of the new PSP 2000 game console from Sony. 'The new PSP has the same basic specifications as the old PSP. Games and movies are still stored on UMD discs. You can even pop your Memory Stick out of your old PSP if you are upgrading and play from your previous saved games without any issues. Size wise the new PSP is a bit slimmer and by a bit, I mean a tiny bit. It is 0.7-inch thick whereas the old PSP was 0.9-inch thick. The weight of the new system is 6.7 ounces as compared to the weight of the old system at 9.2 ounces. Sony doubled the amount of onboard memory with the slim PSP from the original 32MB to 54MB in the slim PSP. The screen is the same on both machines and the WiFi adapter is the same as well. The slim PSP gains the ability to use a component out cable to play games on a larger screen.'

Read: Sony PSP Slim PSP-2000 Review - 14U News

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 10:11 PM | Permalink

Kenneth Barrow writing over at TabletPCReview has posted a review of the OLPC XO children’s laptop. ‘The OLPC XO, once nicknamed the "Hundred Dollar Laptop" is the new children's laptop developed by MIT and the Open Source Lab with significant contributions from a community of developers. Currently available to the general public with a "give one, get one" scheme, the XO promises to be a unique tool for children. The operating system and software on the XO have been specially crafted to create a very usable interface with minimal hardware. The main shell of the XO is made from polycarbonate plastic, which is the same material that many laptops today are made out of. It's very durable and is bend-resistant. On the back of the laptop there is a handle with two thumb holes for easy carrying. The handles were very thick and textured to give greater grip. The only components on the base of the laptop are keyboard and touchpad, everything else is located behind the screen. This results in the base of the laptop being about 1/3 inch thick.’

Read: OLPC XO User Review - TabletPCReview

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 8:48 AM | Permalink

A review of the Sony 80GB PlayStation 3 game console has been posted over at ZDNet. 'Like the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation 3 can stand vertically or lie horizontally in an AV rack, though because of its curved top, it's not meant to have any other components resting on top of it. Early prototypes were shown in white and silver, but the PS3 is currently available only in black. The 20GB version (now discontinued) was all black, but the larger capacity models are highlighted with a chrome trim--and there's no way to customize its look as you can with Xbox 360's interchangeable, if overpriced, faceplates. Judging from Sony's recent decision to bring out the PSP in more colors, we don't expect the company to stick to the black-only option for too long, especially since this system, like the PSP, is a fingerprint- and smudge-magnet. If you handle it at all, you'll end up having to wipe it off, so you'll probably just want to stick it in a rack and leave it there.'

Read: Sony PlayStation 3 (80GB) - ZDNet

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:10 PM | Permalink

A review of the Creative Gigaworks T40 2.0 Speakers has been posted over at Trusted Reviews. 'Creative is a company with pedigree. Its range of Sound Blaster X-Fi soundcards continue to set the standard for other consumer targeted soundcards and just to underline its importance, the company recently announced it had passed the 25 million mark of MP3 players sold. Looking at recent efforts such as the Zen, it's clear the company isn't short of ideas either. However, more recently when I think of Creative I am reminded of the superb Gigaworks T20 speakers, which received a well deserved Editor's Choice award thanks to their outstanding sound quality at an astounding price. It's clear many of you agreed too, with glowing reports from all over echoing the belief that they are a truly excellent set of desktop speakers.'

Read: Creative Gigaworks T40 2.0 Speakers - Trusted Reviews

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:20 PM | Permalink

The Kaito KA1121 Radio w/ MP3 Player/Recorder available at C.Crane for $159.95 is an AM/FM/SW and WX radio with a detachable 256 MB MP3 player/digital recorder. This device is however not your "ordinary" shortwave radio since it is designed to access programming from your computer which can only lend to an "enhanced" radio experience. 'Both the radio and MP3 player can operate on either the included AC adapter or rechargeable batteries (also included) that can be charged right in the radio. Other features include: 100 memories per band (can be done via PC after you install the software), dual conversion on AM and SW, sleep timer, small backlit display. Accessories include: three NiMh "AA" batteries (for the radio), rechargeable battery for MP3 player, case, USB cable, audio cable, ear buds, long wire antenna and mini CD with manual and firmware. Weight: 11.9 oz. Size: 6.4" W x 3.9" H x 1.1" D.'

Source: C.Crane

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 2:15 PM | Permalink

CNET have published a review of the Oakley Split Thump (1GB, polished black/gray polarized) sunglasses with digital player. ‘Oakley's Thump MP3-playing sunglasses aren't for everyone. If, for example, you like to sport gigantic lenses a la Jackie O, you probably won't be keen on the Split Thump's style. That said, the shape of these glasses is rather conventionally sporty, so they should suit most faces just fine. Plus, you get to choose from a variety of colors: polished black with warm gray lenses (all capacities), white with black iridium lenses, crystal black with warm gray lenses, and brown smoke with bronze lenses. There's also a version with a black frame and polarized lenses, which are the optimum choice for those who want to cut glare while retaining the truest color perception. Yes, we must remember that style is not everything with the Split Thump: function and comfort must come into play. Oakley's Plutonite lenses filter out 100 percent of all UVA, UVB, UVC, and harmful blue light up to 400nm. And the glasses are mostly comfortable--the frames are light and the bridge ergonomic--but the straightness of the arms might cause issues for some.’

Read: Oakley Split Thump (1GB, polished black/gray polarized) - CNET

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 8:32 PM | Permalink

CNET Asia have published a review of the Onkyo TX-SR875 A/V Receiver . 'The clear advantage of this receiver over most others on the market is its amazing support for the latest audio formats used on HD-DVD and Blu-ray. Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio are both supported. Obviously, the more standard DVD sound formats are fully supported, too, so you'll be able to get the best out of Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks. The added bonus of the SR875 is that it can decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio over HDMI 1.3a, a feature not all amps have. This means that as long has you have a high-definition disc player that supports HDMI 1.3a, you can get the very best digital sound direct to the Onkyo, with no distortion or loss.'

Read: Onkyo TX-SR875 A/V receiver - CNET Asia

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:28 PM | Permalink

A review of the Qstarz Super 99 Bluetooth Solar GPS Travel Recorder has been posted over at Digital Reviews Network. 'After putting in the battery and pressing the power switch for 2 seconds, the unit powered up and operated straight away. Getting a Bluetooth connection proved to be painless and within minutes I’ve managed to connect the BT-Q1200 to my Nokia 6210 and Loox 720 pda. The GPS satellite discovery also worked smoothly and managed to get a lock without much delay. In fact, the BT-Q1200 consistently proved to be faster in getting a position lock than my other GPS units – the TomTom One XL, my old Bluetooth GPS receiver and Navman (being slower than the TomTom). It also seemed better able to get position lock in difficult areas – it managed to get a lock in some notorously GPS unfriendly areas including Sydney CBD and my home in suburban Sydney . So far so good, big ticks for cold start position lock and strength of signal acquisition.'

Read: Qstarz Super 99 Bluetooth Solar GPS Travel Recorder Reviewed - Digital Reviews Network

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 2:55 PM | Permalink

Digital Trends have published a review of the new Microsoft Zune 8GB portable media player. 'The 8GB Zune seems to be based much more than coincidentally on the first and second generation iPod nano. It has the same vertical layout, very similar dimensions and identical location of dock connector, headphone jack and lock button. The Zune, however, has a vertically oriented LCD screen that allows for viewing cover art, movies and photos. The new Zunes, whether 4GB or 8GB, use flash memory instead of hard drives, making them much lighter, thinner, durable and battery-friendly. Of course, the dollar-to-gigabyte ratio is much higher with flash memory, but the benefits are well worth it to many buyers. The new Zunes have sleek, scratch resistant plastic faces with a distinctive glossy finish. The Zune Red is really bright red, like deep red fingernail polish. There's also a pink Zune (think Pepto Bismol), a sleek black version and a queasy, pea-soup green model. The back sides of all the flash-based Zunes have a matte aluminum that makes them virtually fingerprint resistant. This matte finish is so much better than the grease, scratch and fingerprint craving silvery backsides of the iPod. Microsoft should be commended for this positive feature.'

Read: Microsoft Zune 8GB - Digital Trends

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:40 PM | Permalink

IT Reviews have published a review of the Apple 23-inch Cinema Display LCD monitor. 'Setting up the display is the work of moments. You get the bare minimum of controls which live on the right-hand end of the display, so there's an On/Off button and Brightness Up and Down controls. There's no contrast control or On Screen Display and you don't need them, although Mac users do have the ability to control settings from Mac OS. On the front of the bezel the only feature is a polished Apple logo and in the corner is the most tiny of LEDs which only lights up for a moment when you press the On/Off button. Every other manufacturer feels the need to present you with a light that stays on permanently to let you know that the display is on when this must surely be obvious most of the time.'

Read: Apple - 23-inch Cinema review - IT Reviews

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:23 PM | Permalink

A review of the iPhone Bluetooth headset has been posted over at CNET. 'Shaped like a skinny black stick, the iPhone Bluetooth headset measures close to 2 inches long, 0.5 inch wide, and about 0.6 inch thick if you count the earpiece (It's about 0.125 inch thick without the earpiece). The headset is also remarkably light at less than an ounce, and we admit that we quite like its metal construction, glossy finish, and smooth, clean lines. Certainly, it looks more like art than a simple headset. The controls are dead simple--in fact, there's only one button for everything. It's not obvious at first, but the multifunction button is located on top of the device. The button has a slightly curved feel and gives easily to pressure. On the back of the headset is the earpiece, which is designed to fit inside the ear, much like the old-school iPod earbuds. It fits very nicely in the ear and we found it to be quite comfortable. However, the lack of an ear hook may make some people feel uneasy since it doesn't feel as secure. Also, we really would've liked to have volume controls on the headset itself. If you need to adjust the volume, you'll have to change it with your phone.'

Read: Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset - CNET

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 2:19 PM | Permalink

14U News have published a review of the Lowepro Rolling CompuTrekker Plus AW Notebook Bag. 'The Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW is designed to hold notebooks up to 15.4-inches in screen size, professional DSLR cameras, 4-5 lenses, flash and accessories. In reality, most of us will be able to get much more inside this bag than we want to take with us on the road. The front of the Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW has a removable, adjustable cradle for a tripod to be secured. A small zippered pouch underneath the tripod area stows a weatherproof bag cover that will protect your sensitive electronics from rain if you are caught outdoors during a storm. The first compartment is for your notebook computer. A padded, removable carry sleeve with its own shoulder strap is included that will fit notebooks with screens up to 15.4-inches.’

Read: Lowepro Rolling CompuTrekker Plus AW Notebook Bag Review – 14U News

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 1:52 AM | Permalink

PC Magazine have published a review of the TomTom Rider portable GPS navigation system that comes equipped with mountings to fit most motorcycles and scooters. ‘One of the biggest challenges of developing a motorcycle GPS is how to mount the device securely, since a suction cup or a beanbag mount certainly won't do the trick. TomTom partnered with Ram Mount to produce a mounting kit specifically for the Rider 2, which works with most bikes. While the assembly procedure does take longer than sticking a suction cup to your car's windshield, it took me only about 10 minutes to set up a bike. The mounting kit employs a U-bolt to attach a bracket securely to the handlebar. The Rider 2 snaps into the mounting bracket with a reassuringly solid click and is easy to remove using the release bar.’

Read: TomTom Rider 2nd edition – PC Mag

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 10:30 AM | Permalink

A review of the Freecom MusicPal wireless internet radio and MP3 player has been posted over at Trusted Reviews. 'Internet radios are typically quite complex to navigate because there are so many stations, but Freecom's MusicPal provides an elegant solution to the problem. You don't get a succession of numbered buttons as you do with so many other DAB and Internet radios; I find it impossible anyway to remember which station is associated with which button. Instead you simply press the Fav button on the front panel and up pops a list of radio stations you listen to frequently. Creating the list is simply a matter of 'tuning in' to the station you want, then clicking the Navigate wheel and choosing the Add to favourites option.'

Read: Freecom MusicPal Wi-Fi Internet Radio - Trusted Reviews

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:11 PM | Permalink

Personal Computer World have published a review of the Linksys SPA962 VoIP Phone. ‘Having cabled up the phone it then takes just a few seconds to boot, the firmware using DHCP to obtain an IP address and other basic network settings automatically. From here on it gets more complicated. Support for the Session Initiation Protocol (Sip) enables the SPA962 to be used with either a local VoIP exchange or public Sip services. Each line can also be configured with its own number or programmed to use a shared number assigned to multiple phones, with a browser-based interface provided to configure these and other settings. Unfortunately, this is far from easy to follow with a huge number of options that can be fiddled with if you want, none particularly well explained. As with a lot of VoIP products, documentation is minimal and a high level of technical knowledge assumed.’

Read: Review: Linksys SPA962 VoIP phone – Personal Computer World

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 10:00 PM | Permalink

Personal Computer World have published a review of the Lexmark X4850 Wireless All-in-One multifunction device. 'The X4850 is a higher-spec version of the X4550, which was released recently. Both printers have the same resolution - 1,200x1,200dpi for black and white printing, 4,800x1,200dpi for colour - along with the same built-in 1,200x600dpi scanner. However, the X4850 is significantly faster, with Lexmark quoting the X4850 at 30 pages per minute (ppm) for black and white and 27ppm for colour, compared to 26ppm and 18ppm for the X4550. It also includes additional features such as double-sided printing and, of course, it has the wireless networking option that allows you to share its printing and scanning features with other users on a wireless network.'

Read: Review: Lexmark X4850 multifunction device - Personal Computer World

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 4:11 PM | Permalink

A review of the Philips 32PFL9632D 32in LCD TV has been posted over at Trusted Reviews. 'Before getting into whether or not all of Philips' processing efforts deliver the picture quality goods, we really need to briefly cover the 32PFL9632D's connections, for they're prodigious. Three HDMIs get the ball rolling, with other highlights including a component video feed, a PC jack, and a USB port able to playback a variety of multimedia formats, such as MP3s, .alb slideshows, JPEGs, plus MPEG1 and MPEG2 files. Other key specs you should know about are a native resolution of 1,366 x 768, and a seriously high - by LCD standards - claimed contrast ratio of 8000:1.'

Read: Philips 32PFL9632D 32in LCD TV - Trusted Reviews

Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 8:17 PM | Permalink

Press Release

Jabra GN9350 OC and Jabra GN9330 USB OC headsets will maximize sound quality and mobility for Microsoft unified communications VoIP client

COPENHAGEN (16 October 2007) – GN, a world leader in innovative headset solutions, today announced that its Jabra GN9350 OC and Jabra GN9330 USB OC are the first long-range wireless DECT headsets optimized for Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. Featuring wideband sound quality, plug and play capabilities and a wireless range of up to 100m, the pair joins the corded Jabra GN2000 USB OC in a series of optimized Jabra headsets that offer full compatibility with Office Communicator 2007. All products are available immediately through GN-authorized distributors and resellers worldwide and available by clicking on www.jabra.com/microsoft.

Working closely with Microsoft, GN has introduced a suite of products that have been “Optimized for Microsoft Office Communicator 2007”. By using wideband technology as well as simple software integration, easy set-up and remote call control, GN has created three unique products that offer superior audio quality and rich functionality and maximize the sound quality and user experience of Office Communicator 2007.

“The market opportunity for unified communications is huge, with analysts predicting that 90 per cent of all business telephony will be IP-based by 2009*. Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 will play an integral part in ensuring the rapid adoption of easy-to-use VoIP and presence applications,” commented Jan McNair, VP, GN Office Business. “By working closely with Microsoft, GN can offer busy professionals an out-of-the-box solution that instantly allows them to make the most of IP telephony in the office and on the move.”

“Combining Microsoft’s unified communications software with GN’s headsets offers customers a rich and integrated communications experience,” said Eric Swift, senior director, Unified Communications Group, at Microsoft Corp. “Microsoft’s strategic relationship with GN provides customers new levels of business value, helping streamline communications and collaboration.”

“Office workers increasingly expect to access their office desktop applications, including telephony, from any location via any device. Wireless headsets will play a key role, giving users greater mobility together with the freedom of hands-free communication,” added McNair. “Businesses can make real productivity gains by providing the mobile workforce with effective business tools. Our range of optimized headsets are versatile and flexible, making them the ideal partner for those using Office Communicator 2007, regardless of industry, location or working style.” added McNair.

All three GN headsets feature PeakStop™ technology that cuts out sudden loud noises ensuring that user’s hearing is always protected. The headsets also have integrated buttons for answering and hanging up a call and adjusting the volume up to 100 meters away from the PC or desk phone. The headsets are suitable for a variety of industries and employees, from customer care staff and office personnel to sales reps and executives.

Key product features include:
The Jabra GN9350 OC enables users to seamlessly switch between PC-based VoIP and a traditional desk phone. It offers a conference call capability, three wearing styles and an optional hot-swappable interchangeable battery for ‘around-the-clock’ talk time.
The Jabra GN9330 USB OC is a light-weight wireless headset, with a range of up to 100 meters. It weighs less than 25 grams and offers up to six hours talk time.
The Jabra GN2000 USB OC is a dual-speaker wired headset that offers outstanding c