Reviews

Amazon Kindle DX review

About a month ago the nice people from Amazon kindly sent me a Kindle DX to review. The Kindle DX is the latest in the Kindle range of eBook readers which offers a larger and higher resolution display.

I have to admit that I am not a big reader, it’s not something that I have a lot of time for these days but one the that did appeal to me was the ability to display PDF documents so as I have to read a lot of reports this was one feature that I was keen to test.

The Kindle, like other eBook readers out there, utilises a display technology called E Ink. If you’ve never seen this with your own eyes before then it’s very hard to explain in any way that can do it justice. When anything is displayed on the screen it really does look like ink on paper. This means that reading the display for extended periods of time does not lead to the kind of eye strain of fatigues that you would expect from an LCD screen.

To find out what I actually thought of the Amazon Kindle DX in practice then please read on…

Dell Inspiron 11z Review

The line between laptop and ‘netbook’ has been blurring for a while now and the Dell Inspiron 11z sits firmly in the middle ground of the two and could be argued to be either.

Extending the Dell range that started with the Mini 9, then the Mini 10 and 10V, the 11z shares it’s predecessors styling but then instead of it’s smaller brothers Atom processor they crammed in an Intel® Pentium® Dual Core Processor ULV SU4100 and, as the name suggests, the screen size is bumped up to an 11.6" 1366 x 768 HD TLF WLED screen.

This little machine promises to pack a punch above it’s light weight.

Does it have what it takes to lift it from the rest of the pack?

Let’s see…

Palm Pre Review

The Palm Pre has been around now for five or six months but unfortunately it has taken us that long to get hold of a review unit! 

Praise the Lord that I eventually made contact with a lovely lady at Palm and within a couple of days our review unit was on its way.

Most of us know that Palm has been struggling a bit over the past couple of years and with the release of the Pre and the Pixi (in the USA) and subsequently the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus, it’s really crunch time for them. Of course it’s not just a new phone for Palm but also a brand new operating system; WebOS.

Sales have not been great for the Palm Pre, particularly in Ireland where rumour has it that they have sold a mere 200 units up to December 2009!

So where are Palm going wrong, if anywhere?

Read on to find out my opinion of the Palm Pre…

LG BL20 Review

The LG BL20 is the "New Chocolate". It has a very similar look to the BL40 (which was reviewed by us last year). It has a glossy black finish to it and has the stylish red metallic trim – but this time it’s a slider-style handset. It’s a lower end model too in the sense that it’s a bit more basic compared to its fancy touch screen predecessor.

What’s in the box?

• BL20 handset
• Battery (900mAh)
• Mains charger (microUSB connection to the phone)
• USB cable (again, a microUSB connection)
• Stereo earphones/handsfree (connects via microUSB)
• Userguide and mini CD
• Phone recycling bag from O2

Overall the BL40 was a hit with us so please read on to see how this LG BL20 shapes up…

Michael Jackson’s This is it – Blu-ray Review

In 2009 Michael Jackson was preparing for a sold-out concert tour at the O2 Arena, a tour that, as it turned out, he was never to perform.  With the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson this film is made from behind-the-scenes and documentary footage that was filmed during these preparations to offer us a glimpse of what might have been.

Contents

2 Making of documentaries
8 Featurettes
Photo Collection
Theatrical trailer
Vignettes for Thriller and Smooth Criminal
Making of Thriller vignette

Sanyo Xacti VPC-CA9 review

Ok this is my first review so I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did playing with this camera! When I opened the box I was rather pleased to see a cool looking red video camera staring at me. Right away I can tell you that for basic use, you can pick this camera up and without having to even look at the manual perform the basic tasks such as, taking pictures and videos, browsing through the material you have snapped or recorded and even deleting the unwanted shots is easy as 1-2-3.

What’s in the box?

• Sanyo Xacti CA9 HD video camera
• Battery charger
• Power cable UK outlets
• Power cable EU outlets
• Micro USB – AV TV connection
• Micro USB – USB 2.0 connection
• Camera holding pouch
• Instruction manual & quick guide
• Wrist strap
• Installation CD
• Warning cards regarding the waterproof features.

You may also want to check out Matt’s Sanyo Xacti CA9 unboxing video.

Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet Review

It feels a bit odd reviewing the Archos 5 as it’s not a phone! Anyway I thought I would give it a go as I tend to travel overseas for work a few times a year and thought this maybe the perfect travel companion (apart from my girlfriend of course)!

The Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet is available running Linux or Android. We have the Linux version which I am happy with as a friend has the Android version and he is always having issues.

What’s in the box?

• The Archos 5 Device
• Proprietary sync and charge USB Cable
• Stand/dock adapter
• Headphones
• Cleaning Cloth

With the Apple iPad announced recently could the Archos 5 be a cheaper alternative? Read on for the full review…

Samsung UE40B7020 LED TV Review

The Samsung UE40B7020 LED TV is a 40 inch model from the Samsung Series 7 LED TV range. At just 3 cm deep these TVs are stunningly slim, and being so thin they can also be wall mounted and be no deeper than say a mirror or picture. They are also eco friendly both in the materials they are made from and their energy consumption in use. Full 1080p HD resolution with high contrast gives deep blacks and rich colours, and 100Hz Motion Plus technology removes edge-blur. Add in Internet@TV widgets and a built-in media player for movies, mp3s and JPEGs (either from USB devices or over your network using DLNA) and the Samsung UE40B7020 is certainly promising to be quite the TV. Let’s see…