Reviews

Camcorder group test (Part 1)

If you are a regular on tracyandmatt you’ll remember that I recorded the Palm Treo Pro launch event a few weeks ago. At the time I mentioned that the Camcorder that I was using at the time didn’t perform very well in the low light conditions at the event and that I was looking for a replacement.

So over in the last few weeks I started looking for a new camcorder that I could use to record our unboxing videos but that would also be small and light enough to take out to press events without contributing too much to my already overloaded kit bag. I for the sake of convenience, also wanted a camera that recorded footage on to memory cards rather than DVD or Tape (yes the still make DV camcorders). I preferred to have camera that could record HD but this wasn’t essential, it was the recording quality that mattered most as our videos would always be scaled down for web-streaming anyway. Finally I didn’t want to spend a fortune on the camera; about £200 – £250 was ideal.

As you can imagine, there are a lot of models to choose from within the requirements set out above and it was difficult to decide which one would suit me best. So I decided it would be a good idea to perform a group test of some camcorders that fit the bill. Not only would it help me to select the model I wanted but would also make for an interesting series of posts here on the site.

The models that we short-listed (and were able to get hold of) are the Sanyo Xacti HD700, Panasonic SD7, Canon FS100 and Toshiba Camileo H10.

All of the cameras record on to SD memory cards. The Sanyo and the Toshiba are capable of recording at 720p whereas the Canon and Panasonic record SD.

	Sanyo Xacti HD700	Canon FS100	Toshiba Camileo H10	Panasonic SDR-S7
Effective Pixel Count	Approx. 7.1 megapixels	1.07 megapixels	10.48 megapixels	0.8 megapixels
Camera Element	1/2.5 inch, 7.38-megapixel CCD (total)	1/6" Interlaced CCD	1/2.5 inch, 10.48 megapixel CCD	1/6" CCD 800k Pixels
Recording Media	SDHC (up to 8 GB)	SDHC (up to 16GB)	SDHC (max cap. Unknown)	SDHC (up to 16GB)
Recording File Format	Still: JPEG Video: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 Audio: AAC-compression (stereo)	Still: JPEG Video: MPEG-4 Audio: AC3	Still: JPEG Video: MPEG-4 Audio: MPEG1-L2	Still: JPEG Video: MPEG-4 Audio: MPEG1-L2
Resolution (Pixels) Still:	[10M] 3680 x 2760 interpolated [7M] 3072 x 2304	1152 x 864 1152 x 648	4608 x 3456 max	JPEG size:640 x 480
Resolution (Pixels) Video:	[HD-SHQ] 1280 x 720 (30 fps, 9 Mbps) [HD-HQ] 1280 x 720 (30 fps, 6 Mbps) [TV-SHQ] 640 x 480 (30 fps, 3 Mbps) [TV-HQ] 640 x 480 (30 fps, 2 Mbps) [Web-SHQ] 320 x 240 (30 fps)	standard-definition video resolution of 720×480	H.264 – 1280 x 720 – 30 fps H.264 – 720 x 480 – 30 fps H.264 – 640 x 480 – 30 fps H.264 – 320 x 240 – 30 fps	640 x 840 XP (10Mbps/VBR) 640 x 480 SP (5Mbps/VBR) 640 x 480 LP (2.5Mbps/VBR)
Zoom	5.0x optical zoom lens	37x optical zoom lens	5.0x optical zoom lens	10.0x optical zoom lens
Digital Zoom	Shooting: Max. 12x Playback: Max. 58x (in [10M mode], depending on the resolution)	2000x digital zoom	4x digital zoom	10 – 700x Digital
Focus	Auto (Stills: 9-point AF), Manual	Auto/Manual	Auto	Auto/Manual
Sensitivity	Still: Auto (ISO 50–400), Manual (ISO 50/100/200/400/800/1600/3200)	1.7 Lux Minimum Illumination	?	2 Lux Minimum Illumination
Self-Timer	2 sec. or 10 sec.	2 sec. or 10 sec.	10 sec.	No
Flash	Auto/Forced/Off	No	Auto/Forced/Off	No
Audio	Microphone: Built-in stereo Speaker: Built-in mono (L/R mixed output)	Stereo Mic Built in mono speaker	Stereo Mic Built in mono speaker	Stereo Zoom Mic, Wind Noise Reduction Built in mono speaker
LCD Monitor	2.7-inch, TFT color wide screen LCD, Approx. 230,000 pixels	2.7” Wide LCD (123,200 pixels)	2.7” Wide LCD (123,200 pixels)	2.7” Wide LCD (123,200 pixels)
Interfaces	Via docking cradle: AV output (HDMI/component video/S-video/composite video, Audio: stereo sound), USB 2.0	AV output (S-video/composite video, Audio: stereo sound), USB 2.0	AV output (HDMI/composite video, Audio: stereo sound), USB 2.0	AV output (S-video/composite video, Audio: stereo sound), USB 2.0
Power Source	Lithium-ion battery (1200 mAh)	Lithium-ion battery	Lithium-ion battery	Lithium-ion battery
Approx. Battery Life	Stills: CIPA standard approx. 180 images Video clips (HD-SHQ): Approx. 80 min. Playback: Approx. 190 min.	TBC	TBC	TBC
Dimensions	73.7 x 109.0 x 35.0 mm	58 x 60 x 124 mm	56 x 117 x 65 mm	41.0 x 59.0 x 102.0 mm
Weight	Approx. 189 g (main unit only), Approx. 214 g (including battery and SD card)	260 g with battery	340 g with battery	Approx. 165 g w/o Battery
Price (Amazon)	£249.00	£215.00	£173.00	£228.00

Over the next few weeks, with Nigel’s help, we are going to be testing the four camcorders under real world, general use conditions as well as for the specific job I need them for. We’ll have an unboxing and a sample video from each camera as well as a short review and then we’ll have a final summary post at the end where we’ll pick the camcorder that we’ve decided to buy.

If you have any questions or comments along the way then please do get in touch through our contact page!

Part 2 of the group test is now live – check out the Panasonic SDR-S7 review!

Part 3 of the group test is now live – check out the Toshiba Camileo H10 review!

Part 4 of the group test is now live – check out the Sanyo Xacti HD700 review!

Posted by: Matt

MSI Wind U100 Review

The MSI Wind U100  – Less is more

Only just recently I was writing in the Gigabyte M912 review about how yet another sub-notebook had appeared and, guess what? Here’s another! For those of you, who like to fast-forward to the conclusion bit first, let me save you the trouble: this is my idea of a proper portable computer.

Buy one!

The MSI Wind

Introduction

Right, now that we’ve got that out of the way, if you want to know more then read on.

It seems that the sub-notebook/ultra-portable market has exploded like an egg does in the microwave. From the pioneering EeePC of a little over a year ago, we suddenly find ourselves swamped with the things. There’s very much a bandwagon feel about the whole idea these days with so many manufacturers getting in on the act and with not much innovation going on. To some extent Asus have themselves to blame for that with their very own bloated range of EeePCs.

MSI themselves are well-known for making motherboards and graphics cards, but like Gigabyte they are less well-known for their computers. How does their interpretation of the sub-notebook stack up? Well if you read my opening paragraph then you’ll probably know.

What’s in the box?

1. MSI Wind.
2. Mains charger.
3. Drivers/utilities CD.
4. Sleeve case.
5. Quick-start guide.

General

The form factor of the Wind is entirely conventional: a sub notebook of approximate EEPC 900 size, but with a larger 10” TFT screen. It’s conventional in all senses in terms of appearance – there’s nothing really new or revolutionary about it, but where it differs is in the complete sum of its parts, the quality of the build and design, and the way it translates into the user experience.

Overall the Wind is a little bit bigger and heavier than the EeePC, but the upside of this is that the chassis feels sturdy, it doesn’t creak or distort and it feels right in the hand. Its appearance is fairly sober being dressed in all black (the more flamboyant might elect for the pink version though!). I like the result – it looks right too.

Controls and ports:

• On the main chassis, right side beneath the screen: On/Off switch.
• Above the screen: 1.3Mp webcam and microphone.
• Below the front lip: two speakers.
• On the left: Kensington lock socket, power socket, cooling vents, 2 x USB2.0 ports.

MSI Wind left side

• On the right: Ethernet port, VGA out, headphone socket, microphone socket, SD card slot, 1x USB2.0 ports.

MSI Wind right side

• On the back: access to the battery.

The MSI Wind U100 closed

MSI Wind U100 Specification:

• CPU: Intel ® N270 Atom 1.6GHz
• Operating System : Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Home
• Chipset: Intel ® 945GSE
• System Configuration Memory: 1GB
• 10”LCD panel, 1280×600 pixels with LED backlight.
• HDD 2.5", 9.5mm SATA HDD
• Keyboard 80 key keyboard/Touch Pad
• I/O Port USB X 3,Mic in, Earphone out, D-SUB RJ45, SD/MMC/MS/MS pro
• Audio Speaker x 2
• Bluetooth 2.0 built-in
• Web Camera 1.3M pixel web camera
• Networking: Wireless LAN 802.11b/g, 10/100 LAN
• Protection: Kensington lock
• Battery: Li-ion 2200mAh, Battery life 3.5 hrs (claimed)
• Dimensions: 260 x 180 x 19-31.5mm
• Weight 1.15kg
• 1year RTB warranty

Highlights:

• Bright, large and sharp screen
• Speedy performance
• Lightweight
• Ample connectivity
• Good hardware specification
• Good build quality

Lowlights:

• Battery life
• Not easily expandable

Review

The Wind comes in a variety of specifications with the differences being a choice of combination between Windows Home or Linux and 1GB or 512MB or RAM. The review machine ran Microsoft Windows XP Home. XP Home is not my favoured version of XP, but its choice for this application is a sensible one well-suited to modestly-specified hardware.

In use the machine proved to be very responsive at all times. The 1GB of RAM and 1.6 GHz Intel Atom cpu were more than amply sufficient for all tasks I threw at it. Applications launched quickly, menus popped up with no noticeable lag and boots times were very short. In general use it felt as fast as my dual core Toshiba laptop. I am the sort of geek who likes to strip out unnecessary clutter from operating systems and using something like XP Lite would probably yield some significant performance improvements again.

As a test of the Wind’s portability and usability I took it with me on holiday to the wilds of north-west Scotland with my very limited luggage aboard my motorcycle. The Wind was ideal – back at base in my hotel in the evening I was able to view high-quality photos I had taken on my travels and watch high-quality video filmed with my onboard camera, whilst picking up mails, doing a bit of surfing and drinking some very fine Isle of Skye Blaven beer in the bar. Fantastic – this is what the portable computing experience should be about.

The keyboard was spacious; it felt solid and better than many vastly more expensive laptops. It gave good tactile feedback and proved to be easy to use – again the best by far of any sub-note I have used. As one might expect, there’s a number of function keys situated on the top row of the keyboard to allow quick access to wi-fi/bluetooth, speaker mute, screen brightness and lock controls.

The MSI Wind keyboard

The mouse glidepad was good for a machine of this size and the mouse buttons I am pleased to say were the best of any sub-note that I have used to date – better than the Acer Aspire One or any of the Eees. Nothing more needs to be said.

The screen is a 1024×600 affair capable of displaying enough information for the sort of use intended. Unlike the M912 I reviewed it’s bright and sharp. It is also physically bigger than any other machine at 10” which, means that everything is bigger and clearer. I suffered no eye strain using it for several hours at a time.

Video and mp3 playback was faultless. As with all laptops the speakers were lightweight, but audio performance through headphones was just fine. This is a machine I would be happy to watch a movie on at any time. Several movies in fact.

The 80GB 2.5” SATA hdd was speedy and capacious enough. It was also divided into several partitions with one for the main operating system, one for data and another for backup purposes. I’m pleased to note that the latest revision of the Wind at the time of writing had received an upgrade to a 120GB drive for no price increase. Nice.

The MSI Wind comes with built-in 802.11/g wi-fi, Bluetooth and an Ethernet port to satisfy all connectivity requirements. For me these are essential and I suspect that this would be so for anyone else. There’s no firewire port, but one could argue that it’s superfluous on a machine that is unlikely to be used for video editing work.

The battery is a 2200mAh item that proved to be disappointing when it came to endurance – lasting only for about 2hrs of general use. More could possibly be squeezed from it when using the “turbo battery” mode which basically downclocks the processor to 800Mhz, but as most drain is due to the hard drive and screen then I doubt it would deliver a significant improvement. This sort of life is perhaps the only chink in the Wind’s armour because its sheer usability encourages one to use it lots and this is only limited by the short battery life. The battery itself is housed very securely within the rear of the chassis which, adds to the overall feel of good quality.

One other disappointment is the lack of access to the hard drive bay and memory slots/s. Basically there is none – access would require the machine to be taken apart and would, of course, void the warranty. The good news is that with XP Home extra RAM is not really ever going to be necessary.

Software

As already mentioned this machine comes with Windows XP Home. It also comes with a trial version Office 2007. I’d be tempted to take this off straightaway and install the free Open Office instead. I am glad to say that there was no other software installed, this is good because I prefer to add software of my choice rather than have the price lifted by unwanted clutter.

Conclusion

So how does the MSI Wind stack up? As you can tell, I liked the machine a lot. As a portable computer it succeeds totally. Whilst the individual components differ little from much of the opposition, the end result is somehow “more” and incredibly effective. It’s small without being too small. It’s light but feels well-built, it’s roomy but highly portable, it’s reasonably powerful and noticeably quick. It’s a proper small computer that feels like it has been designed to be an effective proper small computer without being toy-like.

EeePC devotees might complain that the price is perhaps getting on for being on the high side of the market at £349 (it can be found cheaper), but it’s a price worth paying and one that I am happy to dig into my pocket for considering the quality of the overall package. Of course, full-size laptops can be had for this amount of money, but that ignores the merits of this machine.

It’s by far the best of the breed to date and puts everything else in the shade.

Review by: Nigel

Samsung i300 review

Introduction

I’ll be honest. The i300 passed me by on release, and when Matt asked me to check out a WM2003 device, I wasn’t exactly excited by the prospect. However, the i300 does have a few unique selling points, and you could say was ahead of its time, meaning it could be worth a look even today.

The Samsung i300

What’s in the box?

As usual for Samsung, there’s a box full of goodies, two batteries and even a dock included.

• Samsung i300
• AC Charger
• Docking cradle
• Standard battery
• Extended battery
• Direct USB connection
• Headset

Samsung i300 Specification:

• Dimensions : 113 x 48 x 20 (mm)
• Weight : 121 g
• Talk time: up to 7 hours
• Standby time: up to 200 hours
• Display type: TFT, 256K colors at 240 x 320 pixels
• Camera: 2 Megapixel, 1280×1024 pixels, video captue/playback, with flash
• Bluetooth, v1.2
• MP3/WMA/AAC/MPEG4 player
• Operating system: Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 SE
• Memory: 3 GB microdrive, 64 MB internal memory, expandable via TransFlash memory cards
• Tri band: GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900

General

There isn’t much to see on the top of the Samsung i300, just the black iRDA ‘window’.

Samsung i300 top view

On the bottom you’ll find plastic cover over the proprietary Sync/Charge connector.

Samsung i300 bottom view

On the left hand side you can find another plastic cover over the proprietary headphone connector. Below there a buttons for voice recorder, keylock and volume control.

Samsung i300 left side

Looking to the right side there’s yet another cover, this time it covers the MicroSD/Transflash card slot. There’ also a dedicated camera button and two additional soft keys.

Samsung i300 right side

The Samsung i300 has a decent looking keypad with regular numeric pad and standard smartphone shortcut keys. In the middle is a rotating jog dial that works to scroll through the phone’s menus as stored media files.

Samsung i300 keypad

Unusually, the Samsung i300 package includes a neat docking station that allows you to charge the device and the spare battery at the same time.

The Samsung i300 in its dock

Review

So why are we reviewing an older smartphone? A few reasons really. For a start eXpansys want you to buy one, but I was also interested in the retro looks of the device, and of course the 3gb “microdrive”.

3gb isn’t a great deal now with the iPhone, but then this isn’t anywhere near the cost of one. It’s was, until the Diamond, the only WM based device to have built in storage. It’s an interesting phone and is as quick as any of the devices being launched today.

The retro look comes from a mix of black and silver plastic, but feels very well built. The sides are filled with various shortcut hardware buttons, and although these make it look a bit business orientated, most are of some use.

Throughout it’s life, it has, perhaps oddly, been pushed as a consumer device (and in the marketing, you’d be forgiven for thinking the hard disk only accepts music files!). This seems a little strange to me, as its crying out to be used in enterprise. Its a true USB Stick/phone combo, and 3gb of storage, plus a decent well spec’ed phone for £70 seems good.

The i300 of course does beat the likes of Sony Walkman phones in terms of storage, but the teenage girl crowd are not going to want to carry around i300! Style wise then, it is in a niche market, but I do firmly believe it retains its use even now – especially with now stupidly low pricing – it even comes with a decent set of headphones and a headphone adapter for those wishing to use their own headphones.

i300 headphone adapter

As you might expect, music (and anything else) is easily synced to the device with a combination of Windows Media Player and ActiveSync, but unfortunately the built in speakers are pretty awful. As usual, and as most people do, using earphones improves the quality no end.

As well as the full scale hard disk, the i300 still supports external micro-sd cards, which can be hot swapped without removing the battery.

There’s is sadly no way of upgrading the device from its rather old WM2003 Second Edition despite the fact that later builds of the i300 did include WM5.

The usual array of software is available on the device immediately – and Samsung have also added “Picsel viewer” which opens most Office documents.

The built in camera at 1.3meg is acceptable, but does struggle to perform at the levels expected these days. The camera button is on the right hand side of the phone, next to a button dedicated to the standard profile selection screen. This doubles up with a long press to activate flight mode. A third button applies the keylock.

On the right hand side, there is the volume rocker switch, the headphones port, and a voice control/voice recorder button.

The front of the phone is typical retro candybar looks. Screen at the top, buttons at the bottom, and the standard WM softkeys. The navigation ring is really useful though. First off its the usual 5-way direction pad, but the ring itself also spins, with a ridge to make it even easier to navigate through websites and other documents. It is also the method used to digitally zoom the camera.

I really do want to love this phone, and considering its age, its still amazingly useful and easy to use. It is big, and perhaps a bit too heavy. It just about gets away with it, because you do get something for the hassle – the hard disk. I do hope it can withstand a few heavy falls though!

The battery life is acceptable, although you will lose access to the hard disk when the battery drops to a certain level. This will at least in theory give you a little bit of extra time to get home and recharge! The package does include an extra battery that you can carry for the emergency situations.

Samsung i300 battery packs

Highlights

• Nice retro look
• 3gb memory
• High quality screen
• Decent battery life

Lowlights

• A little too heavy
• WM2003 and seemingly no WM5 upgrade available

Conclusion

For all its minor niggles, I can’t help liking the i300, despite its age, and the older OS. The 3gb storage is a really nice addon, and its what separates this from other devices of its time – and makes it a worthwhile purchase for some even now.

Review by: Mark

Gigabyte M912 review

It seems that not a day passes by without yet another sub-notebook PC appearing on the scene. For years the laptop/notebook market has been fairly stagnant. The arrival of the Asus Eee PC changed all that. Suddenly light, cheap and low-powered was in. A year on and we have a rapidly expanding choice. So, where does that leave the new M912 from Gigabyte?

The Gigabyte M912 (click to enlarge)

Introduction

People are beginning to wake up to the fact that for general all-round everyday computing tasks a hugely powerful, thirsty and expensive computer just isn’t required and, what use is a computer if it’s tethered to a desk back at home or in the office? 17” laptops are all very well, but if you have to carry one for any distance then the attraction soon pales and by default they almost become irrelevant. In steps the sub-notebook with its small form factor, adequate power for mail/web/media etc and a decent battery life. The Asus Eee PC started the current trend off, but in fact Psion were probably the first back in 2000 with their lovely little Netbook running their own superb O/S.

The M912 is one of the latest of the breed and at first glance would appear to be almost the ideal portable computer.

What’s in the box?

1. The Gigabyte M912.
2. Plug in wall charger.
3. Drivers/utilities CD.
4. Stylus
5. Carry case.
6. Quick-start guide

General

Gigabyte are perhaps better known for their motherboards, but they have actually been manufacturing laptops for quite some time now – they just aren’t one of the more well-known brands.

The form factor of the M912 is what we’ve come to expect: a sub notebook of Eee PC size with an 8.9” TFT screen. It’s conventional in all senses in terms of appearance, but literally with a slight twist on things – it has a swivel screen that allows it to transform into a tablet PC using a touch-screen interface (more of this later).

Control and ports:

On the front face: two speakers and the LCD touch screen.

Gigabyte M912 screen

On the left: Ethernet port, USB2.0 port, memory car slot, PC Express card slot.

Gigabyte M912 left side

On the right: power jack, VGA out, headphone socket, microphone socket, 2x USB2.0 ports, On/Off switch.

Gigabyte M912 right side

On the back: access to the battery

Gigabyte M912 Specification:

• CPU Intel ® Atom 1.6GHz
• Operating System : Genuine Microsoft Windows VISTA®Home Basic
• Chipset Intel ® 945GSE
• System Configuration Memory : 1GB, HDD 160GB
• LCD 8.9”LCD panel/WXGA 1280×768, w/Touch screen, LED Backlight, as 180° rotation angle
• HDD 2.5", 9.5mm S-ATA HDD
• Keyboard 80 key keyboard/Touch Pad
• I/O Port USB X 3,Mic in, Earphone out, D-SUB RJ45, Express card, SD/MMC/MS
• Audio Speaker 1.5 watt x 2
• Bluetooth 2.0 built-in
• Web Camera 1.3M pixel web camera
• Wireless LAN 802.11b/g by mini-card
• Protection Kensington lock
• Battery Li-ion 4500mAh, Battery life 3.5 hrs (claimed)
• Dimensions: 235 x 180 x 28~42mm
• Weight 1.3kg (include 2.5"HDD)

Highlights:

• Speedy performance.
• Lightweight.
• Ample connectivity.
• Good hardware specification.
• Fully featured powerful operating system.

Lowlights:

• Feels a little bit delicate.
• Screen is not one of the brightest and has a gritty appearance.
• On/Off button is small and placed in an unconventional position.
• Battery life is on the low side.

Review

The 912 uses Microsoft Vista Home Basic. Obviously it is a fully-featured operating system and once all of Vista’s eye candy was turned off, in use it felt responsive enough with applications launching quickly. Occasionally there was some lag with menus appearing, but I think this is probably more of a Vista quirk than anything thing else. The 1 gig of RAM in theory is to close to the minimum requirement for Vista, however, in practice coupled with the 1.6Ghz Intel Atom cpu the 912 proved to be more than ample for most general computing tasks. The machine never felt like it was short of horsepower and, as a result, it felt like a proper computer capable of handling most normal tasks thrown at it – only smaller. Perhaps the only limitations to this machine’s ability would be video editing.

The 160GB 2.5” SATA hdd was speedy enough and it’s inconceivable to me that this would be insufficient for all but the most hungry of power users. No doubt this could probably be upgraded to something larger again if you felt the need.

With built-in 802.11/g wi-fi, Bluetooth and an Ethernet port there is ample connectivity. Bluetooth is a real boon from my point of view as it allowed easy tethering of my mobile phone and PDA. Well done Gigabyte.

The power supply did not come with a UK plug and lead – I suspect that this would be because I was using a review unit. The battery is a 4500mAh item that proved sufficient for about 2hrs of use – somewhat less than claimed. This lower than claimed life was probably due to me using the screen almost always on maximum brightness and no doubt more could be eeked from it with careful adjustment of the power-savings functions. This sort of life a little bit on the low side when compared to the latest sub-notebooks, particularly the Asus EEPC 901 which has a battery life in excess of 5 hours. However, it is unlikely anyone would want to use one of these machines for such extended periods due to their small form factor.

There is a webcam placed centrally above the screen so, video conferencing is entirely possible using something like Skype or MSN Messenger. Personally, I am happy for my contacts not to see my ugly face, but if you’re a teenager then it will certainly appeal!

The mouse glidepad was adequate and featured a scroll area that allowed pages to be scrolled up and down. The left-right buttons mouse buttons had a slightly stiff action, but at least they were positive and caused no problems.

The keyboard was easy to use once I had got used to the physically smaller layout. I wouldn’t want to spend hours writing a lengthy dissertation on it, but it is fine for most uses. It was firm and tactile with good feedback – I’ve used worse on many much larger laptops. Those of you with big hands might struggle, but I was happy with it. There’s number of function keys on it to allow quick access to wi-fi, speaker mute, screen brightness and lock controls – pretty much as one would expect of any other laptop.

Gigabyte M912 keyboard & Touch pad

The screen is a 1280×768 affair capable of displaying more than enough information. However, it’s somewhat disappointing in that it’s not very bright and it has a gritty appearance. I found I had to keep the backlighting on maximum at all times and it’s nowhere near as good as many pdas, mobile phones or other sub-notebooks. Clearly some compromises have had to be made to keep the cost down and it does spoil the experience somewhat because in all other ways the 912 a fine portable computer.

Gigabyte M912 hinge detail

The screen is swivel-screen that allows the 912 to function as a tablet computer and in this mode it is fine is all respects. The hinge doesn’t feel like it’s particularly robust and if I owned one of these I would be taking great care of it as it’s easy to try to twist and rotate the screen in the wrong direction – this is potential for disaster as this would most likely render the machine uneconomic to repair. Most curiously, there was no receptacle for the stylus. I am not convinced that Vista is a good o/s for this sort of use, but that’s a different discussion altogether and not really any fault of the machine’s design. Personally, I can see no use for tablet pcs and I much prefer to use the 912 as a conventional highly portable computer.

MP3 playback through headphones was good enough and I noticed no skips or pauses. The speakers were lightweight of course. Video performance was good with some of my own Windows Media Video files filmed from my motorcycle, the only limitation being the screen. Watching a DivX movie is a realistic proposition.

Software

As already mentioned this machine comes with Windows Vista. You either like it or you don’t. There is nothing extra in terms of software it’s very basic – there’s no office suite for example. Again this is probably a cost-cutting measure, but installing something like Open Office is easy enough and the machine will run it without effort.

Conclusion

So how does the M912 fare? As a portable pc it succeeds very well. It’s small, light, reasonably powerful and well-connected. It’s a proper computer in a small box and it coped with everything I threw at it without breaking into a sweat. For someone who travels a lot like myself it’s almost perfect. The price of £440 inclusive of VAT puts it very much at the higher end of the market and well into the budget “full-size” laptop zone where it compares unfavourably against dual-core machines in terms of performance. However, portability always has come with a higher price tag.

I think I would have preferred it to have been equipped with a lightweight flavour of Linux that would allow all sorts of software expansion at no extra cost and which would have probably boosted performance to very pleasing levels. This would also have had the advantage of reducing the cost of the device which, I feel is on for the high side of acceptable. However, if you’re in the market for an accomplished portable computer then the 912 is a good choice and I would be happy to own one.

Review by: Nigel

Google Chrome Review

OK, so it’s now nearly 24 hours since I downloaded Google Chrome and my initial impression is that of a happy camper.

The initial set up was very pain free. Install took under 3 minutes and it allowed the import of favourites from my other browsers.

One of the first things I noticed about this new browser was that it differed very much from the other stand alone browsers on the market at the moment. There is no header bar which means that the page tabs sit right at the top of the screen.

Before getting into browsing I took a look around to see what it had to offer. To my amazement I found a whole load of goodies which I will describe below.

Google Chrome Options

This has to be, in my opinion, the easiest to manage options page I have seen yet on a browser. It has only 3 tabs named Basics, Minor Tweaks & Under the Hood. As you can see from the screen shots below, this options page has been set up with ease of use in the forefront of the mind

Incognito Mode

Described by Google Chrome as:

You’ve gone incognito. Pages that you view in this window won’t appear in your browser history or search history, and they won’t leave other traces, like cookies, on your computer after you close the incognito window. Any files that you download or bookmarks that you create will be preserved, however.
Going incognito doesn’t affect the behaviour of other people, servers or software. Be wary of:

• Websites that collect or share information about you
• Internet service providers or employers that track the pages that you visit
• Malicious software that tracks your keystrokes in exchange for free smileys
• Surveillance by secret agents
• People standing behind you

Learn more about incognito browsing.

This could be described in two ways, first being a dream for those who want to hide their tracks and second being a nightmare for the parents / wife / husband / other who are now be unable to see what their loved ones have been up to. Personally my own feelings are pointing towards the second option.

Obviously anyone can partially hide their tracks by clearing cookies, history etc… but this is just screaming out for abuse.

Developer

Not being a developer this didn’t mean a great deal to me but one thing I did like was that the browser had it’s own task manager which allows you to see what windows are running high on CPU etc….

Another interesting feature inside the task manager was a link to a page which Google calls "Stats for nerds". I guess I must now officially be a nerd because I loved this feature.

Browsing

Once I started on the browsing I noticed that the page seemed to render itself a lot quicker than on most other browsers but like all Beta versions it did hang on occasion. Clicking on Ctrl T brought up a really cool section that showed most viewed pages and recent bookmark pages.

Overall the browser is easy to use and likeable. I would say that if your into handling the odd bug here and there then start using it now but if your one of those people who just cant handle that sort of thing then wait for the release version which should be a lot more robust.

Posted by: John

GO!View review

GO!View is Sony’s attempt to grab a slice of the ever increasing on demand TV pie. Powered by BSkyB In theory the Service works in perfect harmony with your PSP downloading shows on your PC using the GO!View subscription service and then simply transferring them to your PSP to enjoy when and wherever you wish, So is this the case or are Sony simply full of hot air?

Well the first thing that is perfectly true is that GO!View is a subscription service meaning it will cost you however with prices starting at just £5 a month it is not bad value for money. So what do you get for your money?

Similar to Sky digital television the GO!View service is split into various Packs and access to each varies depending on which subscription you choose, the three packs you have to choose from are:

• Entertainment
• Sport
• Comedy

Each of the categories offer a large number of shows and clips which can all be downloaded and transferred to your PSP for you to enjoy. On top of these packs the service offers the rental of a large selection of the latest & classic movies and TV shows which you will be able to rent however this is at an extra charge and is not included in your subscription fee and costs between £1.50-£3.50 for any one show or movie.

Once you have made your choice with regards to package and subscription downloading shows and clips could not be easier simply browse the library select the item you wish to download click and then just a further click to transfer the item to your PSP (note, items cannot be played on your PC) Of course as most PSP owners will understand I was worried about my PSP’s 2 GB memory stick duo would quickly become useless when downloading full episodes however this was not the case with a 1 hour show using around the 330-340mb mark allowing for a good few shows to be stored on your PSP at any one time.

So overall is GO!View worth investing in? In a nutshell yes I would say it is as it allows great shows and clips to be downloaded and transferred to your PSP easily and more importantly quickly! This service is perfect if you are going on holiday on a long journey as if your PSP is equipped with a decent sized memory card you can load it up with your favourite shows to watch at your leisure. I do have some problems with the service however I do feel the pay per view service is great for movies but for TV shows is a little steep considering you are already shedding out £5+ for your chosen pack(s) also I think it would be a lot more beneficial if the service could be used wirelessly on your PSP and allowed for downloads straight to the PSP without the need for a PC but these aside it a great service and will certainly help Sony get a feel for this sort of product as the release of there Play TV is just around the corner which if you have a PS3 as well as a PSP from what I have seen so far Play TV will be a another excellent product for watching shows on the move.

So how do you get GO!View? Well simply visit http://www.goview.tv/vod/page/promoPage.do download the GO!View application and sign yourself up and another bonus is a months FREE Trial is currently available so you can get a good feel for service before committing.

* Our Go!View competition is now live and you can enter HERE. *

Posted by: Nick

Nokia E71 review

Introduction

This week I was asked to review the Nokia E71, and as soon as I was asked if I would like to review it my eyes lit up. I have been trying to get hold of one of the Nokia E Series phones for a while so I was very excited to review it.

The Nokia E71

The E71 is one of Nokia’s most attractive smartphones to date. Many phones with QWERTY keypads lack a certain finesse, but the E71 wouldn’t look out of place in an Aston Martin. Not only does it look good, its attractive metal casing feels very classy and it’s not too heavy or bulky.

What’s in the box?

• Nokia E71
• Battery (BP-4L)
• Stereo Headset (HS-47)
• Data Cable (CA-101)
• Lanyard
• Pouch
• Memory Card
• Mains Charger (AC-5)
• Quick Start Guide
• 2GB MicroSD Card

Don’t forget to check out Matt’s Nokia E71 unboxing video for more details.

Nokia E71 Specification:

• Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI
• 2.36” TFT, 320 x 240 pixels, 16M colours
• Built-in Assisted GPS
• Integrated Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Tri Band HSPDA
• WiFi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth V2.0
• UMTS (3G)/HSDPA Connectivity
• ARM 11 369 MHz
• ROM : 110 MB internal memory  RAM: 128 MB SDRAM Memory
• 3 Megapixel Camera
• MicroSD Slot
• Standard battery, Li-Po 1500 mAh (BP-4L)
• 114 x 57 x 10 mm
• 127 g

General

A 10mm thick profile ensures it fits inside a pocket comfortably, even though it’s wider than your average handset. The screen and Qwerty keypad are well laid-out, a series of shortcut keys below the screen make it easy to access your emails, calendar and contacts.

Nokia E71 front view

Although the keys are small, they’re very usable, because each is raised, making it easy to distinguish between them. In fact, the E71’s keypad is one of the best QWERTY keypads I have ever laid my fingers on.

Nokia E71 Keyboard

The left side has an iRDA port at the top followed by the microSD card slot and the USB sync socket under their respective rubber covers.

Nokia E71 left side

On the right we can find the headphone/headset socket at the top then below up/down buttons for volume control and scrolling with a menu button between the two.

Nokia E71 right side

The top of the E71 has a power button (in red) and a loudspeaker grille. Great idea having this on the top of the unit as it makes it easier to hear in your pocket.

Nokia E71 top view

There’s not much to be found on the bottom of the E71, just a small connector for the charger.

Nokia E71 bottom view

On the back of the E71 you’ll find the 3.2 Mega pixel digital camera complete with mobile LED light and a mirror for self portraits. The back has a shiny metalic finish which certainly attracts the finger prints as you’ll see below.

Nokia E71 back view
 

Highlights

• Ruggedness
• Very Responsive
• Email push (When used with Exchange)
• GPS (Used With Nokia Maps)

Lowlights

• Headphone socket on the wrong side for me
• metal casing Finger print magnet

Review

Email-centric, business-oriented phones can be dull as ditch water, but the E71 isn’t lacking exciting features. Like the Nokia E90, this smart phone boasts more features than your average Nokia.

Having said that, it gets the basics right first. I can happily say that setting up your personal email, such as Gmail or Yahoo, is really easy, All you have to do is put in your email address and password, The E71 also supports Microsoft Exchange, although it’s a little harder to set that up, so you might want to get some help from your office IT guy, depending on your phone skills.

Connecting to the Internet to receive emails and browse Web sites is possible almost everywhere you go, via HSDPA (3.5G) or Wi-Fi. Using the built-in Wi-Fi scanner, it’s easy to find a hotspot and connect to it. To save battery life, you should turn off Wi-Fi scanning when you’re not using it.

Surfing the Net is better than with most built-in browsers. Pages are displayed in full and, interestingly, the E71’s browser supports Flash and lets you watch YouTube videos, although it’s fairly sluggish — audio streams faster than video.

Software

Because it runs on the S60 operating system, you can download a variety of programs, including my favourite mobile apps, Opera Mini , Google Maps and Garmin, though I must say I would have liked to have seen the same OS as the Nokia N95 on this phone, it would have been the cherry on the cake!!!. The E71 packs GPS, so you can use Google Maps’ sat-nav feature to accurately track your location and get directions.

You can also use the pre-installed Nokia Maps for navigating around town. It does everything that Google Maps Mobile does, but with a few extras, including being able to save a screenshot and voice navigation, but you will have to pay for the latter.

Email on the E71 is a dream. Accounts are easy to configure and you can have multiple POP3 and IMAP4 accounts on the handset. If you use Microsoft Exchange that too is easy to configure and gives you full push email support in much the same way as Windows Mobile.

A small but noteworthy feature is the E71’s start page. It cleverly lets you display emails, apps and other features, but that’s not all. You can set up one start page for home and one for work, flicking between the two depending on what you’re up to. It’s useful if you like to keep certain aspects of your life separate, such as work and personal emails.

The only feature that left me very disappointed was the 3.2-megapixel camera. Its shutter speed was slow and it took blurry photos. I hope the next model in the E series offers a better camera such as the 5 Mega Pixel camera on the Nokia N95.

For a phone with so many features, I was really impressed with how long it could last on one charge. In a real-world test, I have been using GPS, Wi-Fi and HSDPA regularly throughout the day, and I managed to squeeze two days out of the battery before it needed recharging. If you want to expand battery life even further, switching off all non-essential connections, such as Wi-Fi and HSDPA, helps significantly.

Conclusion

Most business phones leave you yearning for something a little more refined, something that will get the job done but also work well as a phone for home. The Nokia E71 is the business phone we’ve (Mostly me!!) been waiting for.

It looks gorgeous, it works well and most importantly it packs enough features to deal with a smorgasbord of situations. I was disappointed with its camera, but I think this is one of the best Nokia email phones to date, and highly recommend it if you’re looking for a phone with a Qwerty keypad.

Review by: Phillip

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 Review

Introduction

The Panasonic Lumix series in one that has always interested me due to there reputation for great build quility and great functionalility they are widely considered to be some of the best devices available in the compact camera market, so will the DMC-FX35 continue this reputation or be a bog standard average compact?

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35

 What’s in the box?

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 Device
• Mains Battery Charger
• AC Cable
• USB Connection cable
• AV Cable
• Software CD-ROM
• Strap

Panasonic DMC-FX35 Specification:

• 10.1m Pixels
• 4 x Optical Zoom
• 4 x digital Zoom
• Wide Angle 25mm lens
• 2.5” LCD Screen
• Optical Image Stabiliser
• 15 Face, face detection
• HD Movie capture with sound

General

The FX35 is very similar to its predecessor in the looks department however it is very much what is inside that counts and the FX35 is certainly an improvement and adds allot of features and functions which are welcome improvements and combine to create a great looking camera that performs in many departments.

The front is almost identical to the FX33 however it houses that fantastic lens for a camera of this size which is certainly a huge draw. The flash is housed above this and the self timer indicator to the left of the lens.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 front view (click images to enlarge)

The back is home to a great looking 2.5 LCD display, to the right of this is the menu/set button which is surrounded by four buttons used for features such as flash, brightness, etc. Below these are the display and quick menu buttons. The record/playback slider is housed above this. A simplistic back which works well with the overall sleek design.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 back view

The top is similar to many compacts on the market in that it houses the on/off slider shutter button which is housed within a great zoom lever which works really well and doesn’t look bad either. The mode dial is to the right of this the microphone and speaker complete the top of the device.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 top view

The bottom of the device is where the ever useful tripod connector is found along with the card/battery cover which flips open to reveal the battery and the SD card slot.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 bottom view

 The right hand side of the device contains the strap loop but slightly more exciting than that is the flap that houses the Component out, AV Out and DC In.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 connectors

Highlights

+Great Functionality & Features

+25mm Wide Lens

-HD Movies do not compare to a camcorder

Review

When I was asked to review this product I was very excited as although I had not used the FX35 predecessor the FX33 I had heard allot about the Lumix series and there fantastic build quality and overall functionality.

Right out of the box this camera looks great it is simplistic in design which works well and is small enough to fit into any pocket, the camera feels well built and sturdy and things such as the flip door hiding the connections does not feel flimsy and loose but feels very well finished. However you should never judge a book by it’s cover so lets find out the device performs.

Starting with picture quality the Panasonic is certainly above average it boasts 10.1m Megapixels which leads to great looking shots combined with the great array of features and functions for many different occasions where light may differ the camera offers modes for parties with low lighting, sports for moving subjects even a snow mode allowing for the crispest white snow to be picked up for those skiing holidays. All these modes allow for high quality clear sharp images to be taken in almost any setting or environment. Video quality is acceptable but is no competition for an HD Camcorder, playback on the actual device is not fantastic due to poor sound quality however when connected to a PC or Mac it looks and sounds perfectly acceptable for a compact camera.

The lens is obviously a huge draw for a compact camera such as this one, it is very useful when taking landscape shots and allows you to finally capture your entire extended family in one shot without cutting an entire generation off the side, it performs well overall with little shutter delay and is ready as soon as the device is switched on meaning you will never miss a moment again.

The device is fairly easy to navigate around given the large number of colour settings and functions etc. many of which I am sure you will never use it was surprisingly easy to find what I was looking for switch form still to movie is easy with the mode dial and functions such as the flash and adjusting exposure as well as controlling the self timer etc.. is similar to many compacts which means less time getting used to new controls and of course if you have owned or used the FX33 you will be at home as the controls are almost identical. The zoom wheel is a great and easy to use and it is little things like this that make this camera a joy to use. It also comes in helpful when looking back at your photos allowing you to zoom in on certain areas etc.

The optical image stabiliser works very well for a compact camera and is very useful for those who are a little shaky without a tripod which lets face it when at a party or event who isn’t. The face detection is also a welcome feature as it allows for more central images and is great at picking up those important people.

The software included on the disc is the sort you can expect with any digital camera included is arcsoft which is actually not bad as far as free provided software goes however I would recommend using software you feel most comfortable with and not feel complied to use the provided software just because it is there.

I personally hate cameras that run on standard batteries such as AA as they drain them before you even get the thing out of the bag well maybe not that quick but you get the idea. Well to my relief the Panasonic DMC-FX35 comes with a rechargeable 1000mAh Li-ion battery which performs well allows for around 300 shots to be taken from a 2 ½ charge of course it all depends on the frequency with which you use the device throughout these 300 shots etc. but overall a decent return with regards to shots from charge.

Conclusion

Overall the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 is a great addition to the Lumix series and a worthy upgrade from the FX33, with the added features such as the superb wide angle lens and the cameras ease of use and excellent choice of feature and settings to play around with to get that perfect 10m Megapixel shot every time or to capture those quick little video moments with sound. The range of settings Panasonic have given us on this model is great and allows for suburb results in all situations including low light and with the image stabilisation prevents any blurry shots which for those nights out may not be a great thing as now everyone can see you in your drunken glory. I think this camera would be perfect for anyone who attends allot of events such as music events etc. simply because of the image stabilisation however that is just one feature the large amount on offer here makes this a compact suitable for anyone from amateurs to the camera pro, a great camera with many draws and will certainly appeal to those of you looking for a higher spec compact camera.

Review by: Nick