Toshiba 500GB USB HDDR500E03E external hard drive
Let’s face is storage is boring. Toshiba, however, is hoping to change that with a funky looking external hard drive adding some “zip” into your file saving habits. Is it all show though?
Coming in a monochrome “frost white” colour scheme – snazzy – the drive’s cover is made from plastic rather than metal, is incredibly glossy like the gadget it wants to be, and well, simple in its design.
If we were a design website I am sure we would be able to wax lyrically about the smooth lines, the “frost white” detailing that represents the movement of data in the transient world that we live in, but we aren’t, so in reality all we are going to say is that it looks good.
Button-less, status light-less, the only break from the glossy design is the small USB slot on the back so you can connect it to your computer via a USB 2.0 cable.
Power is provided by the same USB 2.0 cable saving the need for an additional power supply and behind that glossy exterior, the Toshiba HDD packs half a terabyte of mobile storage. It boasts out-of-the-box operation for both PC and Mac, which it achieves, and will give you space for roughly 131,000 MP3 music files or 142,000 digital photos on the go in a very light package.
Transfer speeds are as good as you would expect for a drive of this nature and it’s no slouch when it comes to transferring content, probably done to the fact it has an 8MB buffer size. We were able to transfer a 2.4GB file from our internal hard drive to the Toshiba drive in 1 minute 20 seconds.
The drive comes with an internal shock sensor and ramp loading technology to help protect your drive. We dropped it a number of times onto a hard surface from waist height and it still worked, however with the plastic case we wouldn’t recommend you do this if you can avoid it. It’s not a rugged drive, nor is it pitched as that.
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Mighty mouse for gamers?
Logitech has a bit of a track record for producing serious gaming hardware. Its keyboards, gameboards and mice haven’t always been top of gamers’ wishlists in the performance stakes but when it comes to features, there’s not much competition.
The G9 Laser Mouse is no exception. Its biggest feature is the customisation possibilities. A selection of 4 and 7 gram weights are included, giving a total of 25 different combinations that you could load it with, from 0g to 28g.
Then there’s adjustable sensitivity, which has four presets, from slower than treacle to ridiculously whizzy. Perfect for those sneaky headshots. That takes the different combinations up to 100.
Then there’s two different covers that you can put on the thing – an XL grip and a precision grip. The precision grip is slightly bumpy and apparently moisture resistant (which Logitech calls “DryGrip”), meaning that it’s very easily handleable with sweaty paws. It has some air vents along the side too, presumably for extra ventilation of your mitts.
The XL grip is much bigger and considerably more comfortable, though it adds quite a lot of extra bulk to the mouse. A smoother finish means that it feels nicer to us, though if you’re the kind of gamer who gets a bit moist in tense situations, then you might find yourself slipping a bit.
Unfortunately we’re not sweaty people here at Pocket-lint, so to test the moisture resistance, we licked the precision grip instead, then tried out a bit of Left 4 Dead. Zombies seemed to be dying at just as fast a pace as normal, and we didn’t slip, but did feel a bit ill half an hour later. Recommendation: don’t lick your mouse.
In the software, you can set up four game profiles, which will adjust your settings automatically whenever you load that game. For example, if you want high sensitivity while playing Counter-Strike, but find the mouse whizzing about everywhere annoying while playing World of Warcraft, you can set that up. You can even set-up different colours for the LEDs on the mouse itself.
The buttons feel solid, and nicely clicky, and the scrollwheel in particular justifies plenty of praise. Compared to its predecessor, the G5, the scroll wheel on the G9 is infinitely better, moving fast when you want it to, but retaining plenty of control when you don’t.
So, let’s total up: 25 weight combinations, 4 sensitivity settings, 2 grips, and 4 game profiles. Multiplying those all together gives 800 different ways you can set this mouse up. Add that to 16581375 options for the colour of the LEDs, and this mouse can be configured in more than 13.2 billion ways. Not bad!
Chumby
Your best internet buddy?
Best described as a large hacky-sack with a screen on the front, the Chumby is part of a new wave of connected internet buddies. We don’t even know what to call it. Sporting a 3.5-inch screen on the front, it doesn’t try to be serious like the Joggler – even though they have equally silly names – but is a lot of fun.
The screen provides touch interaction with the Chumby to play the games, play videos, flick through photos and so on, whilst a button under the soft leather top accesses the main menu and what there are of settings. One of the important settings here allows you to dive in and connect to your network.
The Chumby only connects via Wi-Fi which is great for many homes, but might not be so good for those who want to throw it into their office network for a bit of distraction.
Part of the activation process involves heading online and registering your Chumby through their website. This isn’t really a standalone device as the website is your access to all the available apps – and there are over 1000 on there and more being added all the time. Once activated, however, your Chumby is preloaded with a number of apps to get you started.
There is a default set of apps for UK owners, so it was nice to find that it was already picking up train times and the state of the London Underground. Of course you can add and remove as you please so you can make Chumby exactly what you want it to be.
Basically the Chumby will sit there and cycle through the apps it has on offer, giving you 30 seconds (or so) on each one. You can change the interval of each app, or you can choose to pin one so it stays on that app – great for waking up and checking the trains running from your local station. Did I not mention that? Yes, it will head off to National Rail’s live departure boards to pick up real-time info on your station – fantastic for commuters.
We customised it by adding in some technology news feeds, some fun games and other miscellany and the Chumby proved to be the ultimate distraction. A small dog licking the screen proved a hit with the wife, as did the bubble wrap popping game. And who could resist a quick photo gallery of rabbits? Everyone say ahh.
It’s the sheer randomness of Chumby that makes it so appealing. Sure, the novelty will wear off, but there is plenty of variety to give it a long lease of life.
But aside from the distraction and novelty items, Chumby has a more useful side. We’ve mentioned the London Underground and train times – of course you have weather in there as well – but you can hook up to things like Google Calendar and your Picasa or Flickr photos.
Google Calendar is a view only offering and a but rough and ready, so you don’t get the sort of polished, comprehensive, offering that you do via the O2 Joggler, but it was synchronised with iCal on the Mac and on the BlackBerry, which let’s face it, is the way that connected devices should work.
Around the back of the Chumby you’ll find two USB ports. These will let you plug in a USB memory stick or even an iPod that will then let the Chumby run off and find music to play (MP3, M4A, AIFF, WAV). It’s a neat solution as you can charge your iPod and playback music (with the iPod nano at least), but it is worth checking compatibility with your model before you fork out. The Chumby also has a list of internet radio stations so you can get some music.
The onboard speakers are better than you might expect and there is a 3.5mm headphone jack as well. There is a power button on the back to switch it off, with startup taking about 30 seconds. There is also a motion sensor built-in to control various apps and games.
So it’s all pretty much perfect? Well, not entirely. The touch is pretty good, but at times it can get a little fiddly, especially when plugging in your Wi-Fi password or selecting tracks. You do get used to it, but it isn’t as crisp an experience as you’d get from the latest mobile phone.
The style also won’t be for some either: Chumby will look out of place in your minimalist loft apartment but he’ll fit right into your chilled pad. In reality you could do it all on your mobile phone or PC if you’re being really miserable about it.
Navman Spirit TV: 7-inch Satnav with built-in Freeview
Do you want to Watch while you drive..?
Navman has announced that it will be launching a supersized satnav device later in the summer that will include a Freeview tuner so you can watch TV when you aren’t trying to find out where you are going.
Claiming to the be the world’s first Satnav with built-in TV, it will be called the Navman Spirit TV and come in two sizes; a 4.7-inch screen model and a massive 7-inch screen model.
Aside from the ability to pick up television channels when in a decent Freeview area, the unit will be a fully-fledged Satnav that comes with all the latest features as sported on the company’s newly announced Spirit range, the Spirit 500, 300 and Spirit Flat – so Postcode support, Bluetooth, Google local search, walking mode, Points of Interest and the such like.
The unit is expected to cost between £200 and £300 when it eventually does land in the UK.
The catch? Even Mio/Navman themselves are dubious about getting a good TV reception everywhere; “I can’t get Freeview where I live,” Pocket-lint overheard a spokesman for the company telling a journalist at the UK launch, before omitting that the device “won’t be for everyone.”
Still if you need to catch the latest episode of EastEnders on the way home, this might just be the device to do it with, well as long as you know where you are going.
Panasonic ES8249 Pro-Curve shaver
When we think high-tech shavers we generally imagine a Braun or Philips, but can Panasonic’s top of the range wet and dry, the ES8249, cut it with the big boys?
From a design point of view the ES8249 ticks many of the right boxes; it’s silver and black, comes with a bright orange LED display has ergonomic detailing and a large head mounted on twin directional springs. It looks good, but for a £200 shaver we think it lacks a cutting edge designer finish and the casing, although tough, looks a little plasticy.
In the hand however the shaver feels weighty and dependable, the rubber grips and handle fit the hand well and make it easy to use whichever part of the face you’re tackling.
Cutting is handled by four blades each with multi-arc foils that offer uniform contact to the skin whatever the angle, and a 13,000rpm motor – the fastest in the world. In practice this motor sounds like the world’s biggest mosquito, but the overall effect is superb. It is also a sealed unit so can be used wet or dry which is a practical touch.
The four blades compress even under the lightest pressure so working around the jaw and chin doesn’t pull at the beard. As with every electric shaver this reviewer has ever used it struggled to get all the annoying hairs on the neck but did a better job than many and we didn’t feel the need to push down to get a closer shave. This also left our neck without the tell-tale red marks that can cause razor rash.
The Panasonic ES8249 removed 3 days worth of stubble in less than 5 minutes, and left our face feeling smooth with only a few rogue hairs missed around the neck and under the chin.
At the back of the shaver is a pop out beard trimmer for tidying side burns etc, but we found it an aggressive little blade that did an OK job, but did pull at the skin.
After shaving the ES8249 can be returned to its docking station for cleaning and charging – insert it head first and choose to charge, clean or dry. The cleaning unit comes with a replaceable cartridge and needs filling with water, with a 30min cleaning cycle, or 90 minutes to clean and dry. But after all that gurgling, whirling and blow-drying the shaver looked as good as new even under the foils. It takes up plenty of space in the bathroom, but is well worth it for keeping the blades in box-fresh condition.
As for battery life, 1 hour charging gives 45 minutes use and the LCD status indicator displays minutes used, charge percentage and cleaning status.
Getac PS535F GP PDA
Getac don’t like to do things by halves, producing a range of devices for those who work in tough environments. The PS535F is a rugged PDA aimed at those who need a handheld device that can withstand the worst the environment can throw at it.
Unlike the majority of Windows Mobile devices in the consumer electronics category, this isn’t a connected device – it lacks any sort of mobile phone technology as was the case with PDAs a few years back. This marks it out as a working tool and perhaps sets it apart from something like the iMate.
The PS535F PDA comes in that typical grey and black livery that Getac have applied the other devices and it is pretty large, measuring 144.25 x 82.25 x 29.3mm. It also weighs 300g, so is it not light by PDA standards. Much of that will be down to the level of protection incorporated here.
The device is solid – you can’t twist or bend anything here, it doesn’t creak when you grip it or anything else. That’s to be expected because it is engineered to meet MIL-STD 810F and IP54 standards. IP54 means it is tight against dust ingress and splashing water, while 810F outlines a range of laboratory-tested environmental stresses, which the device is certified to withstand.
The front features a 3.5-inch 480 x 640 (VGA) touchscreen display, which Getac boast can be seen in direct sunlight thanks to its anti-glare coating. In this device, where function rules over form, it is true. The anti-glare is good enough that we were able to photograph the screen directly, even in bright light, which is very rare indeed. It is LED backlit too, which helps get the most from the battery.
Across the bottom of the front are four buttons, giving you the normal Windows Mobile Start button, contacts, TacLink launcher and power. Of course you can reassign three of these buttons to launch different programs to suit what you are doing. In the centre of these buttons is a small clickable four-way controller, which means you can scroll around manually without having to use touch too much, but not entirely.
As this runs a standard version of Windows Mobile 6.1, you’ll need to use the stylus for fiddly tasks like using the on-screen keyboard or closing down windows. The stylus slots neatly into the back right-hand corner and is nice and tight, so it won’t fall out.
The buttons are a little too small to use wearing gloves, although if you can grip the stylus, then this shouldn’t be too much of a challenge to use in the cold, but we can see that those wearing gloves will probably choose a larger stylus attached by a lanyard or some such.
The bottom of the device features a large flap, well sealed to prevent water or dust ingress, beneath which lies the connections: a DC power point and Mini-USB for syncing with your PC. There is also a hard power switch, meaning you can shut the PDA off completely and not run the risk of flattening the batteries whilst in transit.
The left-hand side features two further weatherproofed flaps, concealing a 3.5mm headphone jack and the SD card slot (up to 8GB accepted). The latter flap is also secured with a screw, so this isn’t something you’ll be swapping out in the field. It does mean that it won’t accidentally drop out or get lost – vital if you are using it to gather data. 
Around the back of the PDA is a small speaker and a 3-megapixel camera, as well as an attachment point for an external GPS antenna (available separately) that you might want to consider if you plan to vehicle mount PS535F.
The camera is average for this type of device – it won’t replace a decent digital camera, but will grab snaps should you need them. Sadly there doesn’t seem to be an option to geotag images straight out of the box. It will also capture video with sound.
In-use the PDA performs pretty much as any other Windows Mobile device, which is exactly what you want. This means you’ll be able to use normal Windows Mobile applications and compatibility with your PC back at the office is ensured.
To support the hardware onboard, however, you do get a couple of special applications. The first is TacLink that gives you a detailed display of GPS information, including satellite locations and levels, as well as your exact location information. You can also log this information, so you’ll be able to record and extract this data for later use. It isn’t a GPS navigator however, so you’d benefit from installing a third-party mapping application if that is a requirement.
The second application is E-Compass, which as the name suggests is an electronic compass. Each time you use it you’ll have to calibrate it by waving it around in a figure of eight, but after that you’ll get the option of having the needle point north, or the dial point north. You get a digital readout of the bearing the device is lying on, as well as altitude (which can be gathered from GPS data), barometric data and pitch and roll.
These features won’t really appeal for those wanting a navigation device as you can get smaller GPS units that will give you routing and mapping information of this type, or a sighting compass is no weight in the pocket and doesn’t rely on batteries. The pitch and roll is useful, because you can use this for levelling, however, and the barometric pressure could also be logged. All the details supplied might feed into the pot of information you have to collect at a particular location.
Sitting at the core of the PS535F is a Samsung 2450 533MHz processor, backed by 128MB of RAM and 2GB NAND flash memory for storage. Navigation of Windows Mobile is relatively smooth, although this is the characteristic pause whilst the OS thinks about what you have asked it to do. As this isn’t a consumer device, that probably won’t be much of a problem.
In terms of connectivity you do get Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0, so you’ll be able to connect to networks wirelessly to move data in and out and take advantage of all the connected features that you can add to Windows Mobile if that takes your fancy. Unlike many consumer devices, there is no modification to Windows Mobile here – you don’t get a flashy interface or any shortcuts
Etymotic launches custom-fitted hf2 headphones
If you’ve always struggled to get in-ear headphones to do what they should and stay in your ears, Etymotic has come up with the solution with its custom-moulded headsets.
Developed exclusively for the Apple clan, the hf2 custom-fit headset will work with iPhones and iPods and as they’re made especially for your ear, the idea is that you’ll be able to wear them for longer.
To get your headphones fitted, you’ll have to go to one of the 300 ear impression outlets where they’ll put pump blue silicon into your ears to get the mould before sending it off to be made. A lot of the guys here at Stuff Towers have had it done, and apparently it’s not as weird as it sounds.
The process takes a couple of weeks, but you’re promised high-fidelity sound and noise isolation for your wait – plus your mates won’t be able to nab your earphones off you anymore which is always a bonus. You’ll get a range of ear tips when you buy the headphones as well so you won’t be sans headphones while you wait.
The hf2 custom-fit headphones will be available from 28 April from Apple stores.
Garmin Forerunner 310XT is here to get you fit
Touting your app heavy mobile as your personal fitness instructor is all the rage these days, as we showed recently in the Stuff.tv vidcast.
But if you’re really serious about getting your own tech buddy to help you shed the pounds and get in shape for summer, then you’ll need the new Garmin Forerunner 310XT.
Billed as a triathlon ready watch, it packs in a “Virtual Partner” who’ll gee you up whether you’re on a run, swimming or have it attached to your bike.
Obviously GPS is present, with a big display for seeing how far you’ve run, where you’re going and what your pace is. You can even set vibrating alerts so you’ll know when you’ve passed milestones on your workout.
If you’re really into all this fitness malarkey, then you can also nab a specially designed heart rate monitor to check your not about to keel over.
The Forerunner 310XT will cost £299, £329 with the monitor.
Plantronics .Audio 655 headset
22 April 2009 – There are a many headsets you might want to consider using with your PC. If you regularly listen to music or play games, then a standard headset will do. But if you want to use VoIP as part of those games, or regularly use a VoIP application such as Skype for calling, then it is worth investing in a headset that will meet those needs.
Of course if you are a gamer, then something like the Plantronics .Audio 655 gives you a good combination of features, giving you a headset with boom mic, perfect for issuing commands in co-op missions, or taunting your rivals. If you are a Skype user with a camera, then you might feel a little more self conscious using this type of headset – something worth bearing in mind before investing.
The headset is constructed from grey plastic throughout and to help you get the right fit there is the normal adjustment in the headband, as well as some swivel in the ear cans themselves. The choice of materials isn’t brilliant but at this price point, it is better than you might expect, and the construction is solid enough.
They are pretty large, however, and there is no folding option so they aren’t really practical for taking on the road with you.
The boom mic does fold however, dropping down on the left-hand side, with a flexible arm so you can move it in towards your mouth. The end is tinted in red, like the lining inside the cans, which picks out these active areas nicely. You also get 2 metres of cable which should be enough to give you full roaming on your desk without taking them off.
As said, the 655 are pretty chunky, although more compact than some of the gaming headsets we’ve seen in the past. The ear cans don’t completely enclose your ears (unless you’ve got especially small ears) but with plenty of padding on the contact points around the edges and lining the headband, we found that it was comfortable to wear the 655s for hours. They are lightweight too, so you don’t need to worry about getting a tired neck.
And because they don’t totally encase your ears you don’t get too hot either, although in summer or if you have the heating on you will get hot ears after a while as you will with most headsets. Noise isolation is pretty much non-existent, so you will still hear loud external noises. This is a double-edged sword perhaps, because you can mute your PC and hear someone talking to you without taking the headset off, which some might like.
The headset, though, is very loud. In fact on our MacBook we had the volume right down at the bottom end of the scale. Turning it up all the way was painfully loud for us, but quality was preserved throughout the volume range, and we found that there was very little distortion as we turned up the volume.
On the left-hand side you’ll find a volume control too, so you can change the volume of your PC or Mac without actually having to touch the thing, thanks to the USB connection. The mic contains its own muting as well – you simply lift it up back into the vertical position and it cuts off, a great way to participate in online conference calls, with having to worry about the mic.
The mic also features noise cancellation and we tried a few test calls and the reported results were very good, so you don’t have to worry about the radio in the background while you talk. Of course to get the best results, turning the radio off will ultimately give a much better result.
It is also recognised as a device for VoIP applications, such as Skype, and Plantronics tell us that the headset is optimised to Skype’s new Super Wideband Audio Codec that is included with Skype 4.0 for Windows. In our test calls, everyone reported that we came though loud and clear, so the mic does its job well. On the receiving end, the advantage of having a headset is it cuts out some of the distractions when talking to your computer.
Setting the VoIP or gaming integration aside, you are still left with an impressive headset for listening to music. Bass delivery is very good, something that gamers will like, as the sound has a rich meaty quality too it. We found that general music listening was great, but without the noise cancellation you do tend to turn it up and there is a fair degree of noise leakage too, something to bear in mind if you are in a quiet location, such as on a train.
The impressive bass delivery does mean that sometimes you’ll find that callers do sound a little too bassy – particularly with those macho men, but less of a problem with female callers.
The Rab Mixer makes mixing a little more childlike
The shape of most mixers is actually quite perfect to make it look like a rabbit. So those of you that are good at those type things could easily just paint the bunny face on yours. This particular concept does have a few extras though. It features all the usual speed changes as well as preset modes for cakes and milk shakes. This sadly, is still a concept or I’m sure it’d be somewhere in the archives of Perpetual Kid.
