Lindy HDMI Switch Review - Bargain Price !
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Lindy HDMI Switch solves a problem that many of us face over the next few years. It took a long time for manufacturers to give us enough SCART sockets on the back of TV sets, but now, with the advent for High Definition, there is a new socket in town... HDMI.People seem to be flocking to the stores lately, picking up large LCD and plasma screens to view their DVD's and digital TV on. When they realise just how bad standard definition sources look, it is not long before they are wanting SKY HD or perhaps an upscaling DVD player. Add the forthcoming PS3 into the equation, and to get the best from your set-up you suddenly need three HDMI sockets. With most screens coming with one HDMI socket, at the most two, this is a problem.
One option is to purchase an AV amplifier or receiver which has HDMI switching, but this is an expensive move. The minimum you are really looking at spending is £500 which may get you one extra input. For those who are already happy with their sound set-up or do not want to spend that sort of cash, the only other option is a switch.
Gone are the days of those clunky push-button SCART switches, with the Lindy UK offering of a remote control HDMI switch. This neat little box of tricks offers a very smart solution, with three HDMI inputs and one output (which goes to your screen). The box is an all-metal affair, not particularly pretty to look at, but the understated design looks nice and techy. The rear of the units has the power supply input and HDMI sockets. The front sports the IR receiver (for the remote control), some status lights, input button, and an image enhancer button. The remote control supplied is very small and flat, with a power button and number buttons for selecting the desired input…
Set-up is very easy, just plug in your sources, connect the HDMI output into your screen, switch on and you are good to go. For our tests we used a Lindy's Premium Gold HDMI cables, which are very reasonably priced. It is important to remember when buying any switch to budget for an extra cable. Once everything was powered on it was nice to see that there was absolutely no degradation in quality at all. Switching between inputs was faultless, with the remote being very responsive and the LED status lights on the front showing the selected input. The image enhancement circuitry made no noticeable difference to the clarity of the picture in our tests, but I really think this will come into play if you are using long HDMI runs of ten meters of more.
Picture quality from out Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player was exceptional, the clarity was pin-sharp and colours remained unchanged with the switch in place. We also tested a Panasonic DMR-EX85, which is a hard disk drive recorder, with an upscaling DVD player. Again the picture quality was brilliant, though we did need to disconnect the SCART cable to obtain a stable picture. This is not a problem though, as the whole idea of this new technology is to ditch your old SCART connections in favour of the much superior HDMI.
A quick note about the Lindy Premium Gold HDMI cable which was very impressive. The build quality was spot on, and the 24K gold plated connectors ensure the highest possible signal transfer. We compared this cable to the standard one supplied with the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player and the picture certainly seemed more vibrant. Keep an eye out on Geekanoids for a full review of this cable very soon.
The Lindy HDMI Switch supports HDTV resolutions up to 1080P and is fully HDCP compliant, so you should not run into any problems in the future. You also get a generous two year warranty. For £119 it offers great value for money, with some switches on the market costing a lot more. It may be a budget price, but it certainly delivers great performance, with that all important transparency to your home cinema set-up.
Product: Lindy HDMI Switch Remote
Price: £119.00
Supplied by: Lindy UK
Contact: +44 (0) 1642 754000
Product: Lindy Premium Gold HDMI Cable (2m)
Price: £48.99
iPod Shuffle available in 5 Fruity Colours
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
CUPERTINO, California—January 30, 2007—Apple today announced that the world’s most wearable digital music player is now available in five brilliant colours: blue, pink, green, orange and the original silver. A hit with customers since its initial shipment three months ago, iPod shuffle is just half a cubic inch in volume, weighs just half an ounce and features a stunning aluminum design with a built-in clip, making it the most wearable iPod® ever. Based on Apple’s pioneering shuffle feature which lets music fans enjoy a continuous mix of their favourite songs anywhere they go, iPod shuffle contains one gigabyte of flash memory, holds up to 240 songs and is available in all five colours for just £55 (inc. VAT).“iPod shuffle is the world’s most wearable digital music player,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing. “Music fans can now choose iPod shuffle in one of five brilliant colours, or they can buy one of each.”
iPod shuffle features up to 12 hours of battery life* and lets users shuffle their songs to listen to them in a random order or simply flip a switch to listen to their songs in order, such as when listening to a new album.
Users connect iPod shuffle to their PC or Mac® with the included dock, and iTunes’ innovative AutoFill feature automatically syncs the perfect number of songs from their music library. Seamless integration with iTunes® 7 and the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com/uk) allows customers to choose from a selection of over four million songs from the world’s most popular digital music store.
With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod and groundbreaking personal use rights, the iTunes Store is the best way for PC and Mac users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.
Pricing & Availability
The new iPod shuffle is available immediately worldwide through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers for £55 (inc. VAT). iPod shuffle includes an iPod shuffle dock and earbuds.
Great source for Dashboard Widgets
This may not be news to you, but I stumbled across a great website today. Since the Dashboard came to fruition, I have been searching for and downloading my widgets from the Apple website. Today I was searching for an iCal ToDo widget and I came across DashboardWIDGETS. They have some great content and news, as well as a searchable database of widgets. The added bonus is that they allow user comments, so it gives you an indication if the widget is any good. Take a look by pointing your browser to this great website.
Nokia N800 Internet Tablet Review
Monday, January 29, 2007
The Nokia N800 internet tablet landed on my desk today, and having previously tested the N770 I was a little excited to see what had changed and/or improved. More importantly, would I now find a use for the device, when last time around I was left mystified as to how useful it would be for my day-to-day use.Out of the box the design has improved a great deal. Gone are the slab-like looks of the previous incarnation and you can say hello to some smooth curves, a nice contoured back and a pleasant silver finish to the front. The buttons are a bit odd, sort of set off-centre, and a little non-tactile, but you won't find this a problem, as they are not used too much. The touch screen is the same as before, a glossy finish, very high resolution (800x400) and everything is really colourful, bright and pin-sharp (more on this later). Around the back of the unit is a small flip out stand, which is great for when you are watching videos, and also useful when you set it on your bedside at night to wake you in the morning. A small hole on the top right side of the unit holds the triangular shape stylus, and on the top left side is a click-n-pop-out web camera, which is a nice touch.
Back to the 800x400 pixel widescreen, and you will not be disappointed, unless you are a fussy bugger like me, as the backlighting is not very even, with noticeable dark patches down the right hand side. To make up for this shortfall, the screen is really nice and sharp, with colours that are really vibrant. The clarity of text is pin-sharp, which is great for viewing websites and emails. The coating on the screen is impressive too, it seemed really scratch resistant. The gloss finish is not what I would say is really high gloss, so reflections are not really a problem. Brightness is adjusted via and on-screen slider, and for most of my tests and use I found the setting to be good around the halfway mark.
The back of the unit has a cover that comes off nice and easily, underneath this you install the battery, and there is also room for one SD memory card, which can be up to 2GB in size. Also around the back is the stand, which when not in use fits nice and flush to the unit. Lifting the stand out also reveals the second memory card slot, which again is for an SD card up to 2GB, so the N800 supports a total of 4GB which is pretty impressive. During our tests we used Secure Digital cards supplied by Transcend UK (more on this later). Notice that I did not mention a sim card slot, well this N800 is no mobile phone, which would have made this a world beating device in my books.Buttons on the top include one for powering the unit on and off, plus a +/- zoom button, which is great when surfing the internet. There is also a full screen button, which does what you would expect, it hides all other on-screen icons and just shows the web page you are viewing. If you are playing a video back, then this same button hides all the Media Player controls and plays the video full-screen.
The main use of the N800 is as a fully connected bluetooth and wifi internet communication device. If there is no wireless hotspots around, then you will need to connect the N800 via bluetooth to your mobile phone. Checking your emails, looking at internet sites, instant messaging (with GoogleTalk), RSS news reading, and internet based chat (again GoogleTalk) is really where this device excels. I had my email account set up in no time, and connected the N800 via my wireless network in about five minutes. Looking at internet sites was also pleasant, with the nice clear high res screen serving up the content in a very nice stable Opera based browser.
Internet based chat is also possible with the Gizmo project, which I already use, so I downloaded the N800 version and again was making calls over my wireless network in no time at all. Gizmo also supports text based chat, so this became my application of choice. Gizmo works in a very similar way to Skype, but for some reason I prefer the latter. The goods news is that Skype is coming to the N800 mid-2007, and I think this will boost sales a great deal.Playing back some media files was also surprisingly good. MP3 files played back really smoothly, with the built-in speakers doing a good job. Other formats supported include AAC, WAV and WMA. Video playback was really clear, though with some content a little jerky, though I put this down to some files being encoded with a higher bit-rate than the N800 was designed for. Overall though the playback was more than acceptable, almost on par with the Sony PSP, but not quite as good an experience. I did notice a considerable improvement when playing back video files from the high-speed Transcend SD Card. We had two versions of SD card to test, an 80x and a 150x card. Both performed admirably, with the 150x showing quick save times and helping the N800 deliver the video files with less stutters. Video formats supported include MPEG-1, MPEG-4, AVI, and H.263. Streaming internet radio (M3U and PLS) is also supported and a nice feature, though I could not seem to set internet radio as a wake up alarm, which would have been great.
You can also view photos on the device (BMP, GUF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF) and the screen really does a grand job. Remembering that this is not a dedicated image viewer, the quality really will impress.
So, just how useful will someone find the N800? Well, that depends on what your day-to-day activities entail. For me, I am glued to my laptop, and wherever I go, my laptop follows. So I would find that the N800 would be left behind, so it is not for me. If you find that you only attend meetings or do business where you can always use a laptop, then save your pennies.
On a positive note, if you are a business man, or find yourself out and about, but still need to check your emails, or fancy making use of VOIP based calls with Gizmo or the forthcoming Skype, then the N800 is a real boon. If you are already into the Skype scene then the N800 could save you a fortune, once this app becomes available. The RSS news reader also allows you to subscribe to your favourite feeds, so you will never miss that latest headline. On top of all the communication uses, you also get a great MP3 and Video player, plus some built-in games, and a community of open source developers making great apps for the device.
For £279 you can buy an N800 direct from Nokia, which is a pretty good price, you really do get a lot for your money. Whether or not you can make use of such a device is up to you, but even if you only use half of them, I would still say it is good value for money.
Product: Nokia N800
Price: £279
Supplied by: Nokia UK
Labels: Reviews
Olympus SP-550 Ultra Zoom - 18x goodness
The new Olympus SP-550 UZ Ultra Zoom offers the ultimate in power and versatility with a compact, best-in-class 18x optical zoom lens (28-504mm equivalent in 35mm photography), which gives users the ability to shoot telephoto, wide-angle and macro (as close as 1cm) all in one. Crisp, clear images can be captured far and wide with Dual Image Stabilization and the broadest focal range available on any digital point-and-shoot. The camera’s full manual exposure control provides professionals and photo-enthusiasts with unlimited creativity, while its automatic settings and Built-in Help Guides will put novice users at ease.This revolutionary ultra zoom is equipped with several unique features to deliver near-DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) performance in a compact size, including:
18x Wide-Angle Ultra Zoom Lens Provides Power and Versatility
Featuring the world's most powerful zoom lens, the SP-550 UZ offers maximum shooting versatility for travel, sports and day-to-day use. The 18x super telephoto zoom gets you closer to the action than any compact digital camera on the market. At the same time, the wide-angle lens gets more into your frame – perfect for shooting indoors, landscapes and group shots. The super macro mode is ideal for capturing the most subtle details from as close as one centimeter. The compact, precision-crafted lens combines high-refractive, aspherical and extra-dispersion (ED) lens elements to deliver edge-to-edge sharpness and clarity. The bright, f/2.8-4.5 lens provides the equivalent of 28-504mm focal length with 100x total seamless zoom (5.6x digital zoom).
Dual Image Stabilization
Dual Image Stabilization technology enables users to take crisp, clear pictures in virtually any shooting situation – adjusting for camera shake and a moving subject. Olympus’ Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization keeps images sharp by adjusting the CCD to compensate for camera shake, which often occurs when zooming in on your subject and in low-light conditions when shutter speeds are slower. Digital Image Stabilization freezes the action with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds that prevent blur caused by a moving subject.
High-Speed Sequential Shooting & Pre-Capture
Capable of capturing images at an incredible 15 frames per second, the SP-550 UZ offers the highest burst rate of any compact digital camera. The inclusion of Pre-Capture technology, which works in conjunction with High-Speed Sequential Shooting, enables users to capture the action before and after fully pressing the shutter button. Pre-Capture begins working as soon as the focus is locked, automatically archiving five frames in the camera’s buffer memory prior to the shutter release – virtually guaranteeing that none of the action will be missed even if the user’s reaction time is slow. Perfect for situations where timing is essential, such as photographing a tennis player serving, children playing or a whale breaching.
Full Manual & Automatic Control
The Manual, Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes give users versatility and control for optimal performance in any situation. Users can express their creative vision – adjusting the f-stop for detailed portraits with softened backgrounds, or slowing the exposure speed to create the blurred effect of motion, or just sit back and let the camera do the work with the automatic settings. Full manual and automatic control options allow advanced users to maintain creative control and novices to point-and-shoot their way to beautiful images.
30 Shooting Modes Including TV-Quality Video with Sound
The SP-550 UZ makes it easy to take great photos in a variety of scenarios and lighting situations with 30 shooting modes, including television-quality video with sound (640x480/30fps) up to the capacity of your xD card. Simply select the desired mode for portraits, landscapes, night scenes, fast-action, macro and more.
7.1-Megapixel Image Sensor
The 7.1-megapixel CCD image sensor delivers superior image quality for consistently capturing sharp, vivid details even in large-format or cropped prints. The SP-550 UZ records in both JPEG and RAW file formats and is perfectly suited for a wide range of users – from new photographers to advanced users who require maximum creative control.
Other features include:
The SP-550 UZ will be available in March 2007. We use digital cameras a lot for the production of the Geekanoids website, so we hope to bring you a review as soon as the finished product is made available. Check out the full details on the Olympus website here.
Apple UK - Regional "Get a Mac" Adverts
It was nice to see the UK get their own regional "Get a Mac" ads posted on the Apple UK website. The ads star David Mitchell and Robert Webb of "That Mitchell & Webb Look" fame. The ads seem to be re-films of the US versions, but are well worth a look, with some great facial expressions from the duo. Tentacle, Office at Home, Restarting, Virus, Trust Mac, and Pie Chart can be seen here.
Pinnacle SoundBridge Review - wireless music
Friday, January 26, 2007
The Pinnacle SoundBridge is a device that connects to an external set of powered speakers, or a hi-fi system, and allows you to stream content from you computer wirelessly. With so many products moving this one step further by adding the inclusion of video streaming, audio only products are left with two choices. Either compete on quality, or price has to be what I would almost term as an impulse buy... more on that later.This package consists of the unit itself, which sports a nice 16x2 line LED display. Around the back is the power adapter input, line-out for connecting to speakers or hi-fi, earphone jack to save you annoying the neighbours, and a SD/MMC memory card slot, a nice addition if you have an MP3 player that uses these and you want the SoundBridge to play back from a card.
There is also a rubber stand, to sit the cylindrical shape unit on, this seems a little cheap, but it does the job OK. To finish off the package you get the power adapter and stereo audio cable. The CD containing the SoundBridge software makes no attempt at hiding the origin of this product, which has been licensed from Roku.
Of note is the supplied remote control. More often than not this is a last minute thought, but the Pinnacle supplied remote has some useful buttons, a nice feel to it, and a nice layout, so well done Pinnacle !Connecting up is really easy, and once you have installed the software, registered the unit with your wireless network (802.11b support) you are more or less ready to go. The SoundBridge will work with Windows Media Connect, Windows Media Player 10, Rhapsody and the fave of mine iTunes, which is of course supported on both Mac and PC platforms.
Supported formats include WMA, AAC, MP3, AIFF and WAV music files. My system is solely MP3 files, which when streamed to the SoundBridge and output to my AV receiver, the quality was pretty darn good. I was impressed with the crispness of the audio, with no dropouts, and the easy of navigation was also impressive.
Now, I started this review by saying that this sort of product has to either compete on quality or price. Well, on the quality front, the SoundBridge has more than acceptable audio performance, a nice remote and seems well built. The only negative is the cheap stand. The price however is amazing, you can pick this unit up at Curry's or Amazon for just £99.99. This is almost an impulse buy for many users, if it were £20 cheaper it would be a no-brainer, but for the sub-£100 asking price I think it represents great value for money.
Product: Pinnacle SoundBridge
Price: £99.99
Supplied by: Pinnacle Systems UK
Contact: +44 207 294 0140
Bluetooth for your Wrist - Abacus MobileWear
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Widget UK Ltd, a leading supplier of mobile technology and accessories, today announced the availability of the first mainstream Bluetooth fashion accessory, the Caller ID wristwatch.The watch sports Bluetooth wireless technology, and will simplify how people interact with their mobile phones. Combining fashion forward technology with added functionality and efficiency, the Bluetooth watch enables users to stay connected without compromising style. The watch designs were adapted from top selling Fossil models.
The analog/digital watch links effortlessly via Bluetooth to certain mobile phones allowing users to view incoming caller ID information on the watch face. Users are notified when their phone rings and when a text message is received. When users are unable to answer their phone, a single button press can mute or reject an incoming call. When a voicemail or text message is received, users are alerted by an icon of an envelope that appears on the watch accompanied by a slight vibration.
Partnering with Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, a global leader in the mobile handset industry, Fossil’s new wireless product boasts a fashion-forward design that is as attractive as it is capable. “Combining Fossil’s fashion and watch expertise with Sony Ericsson’s Bluetooth technology expertise helped us to create a smart, dynamic and fashionable watch that keeps you connected in all situations and eliminates the need to fumble through your pocket or handbag each time someone calls,” adds Geiser.
Additional features include a two-hand analog for easy timekeeping, vibrating alert of incoming call or SMS/MMS, Caller ID or number displayed, out of range warning (after 10 meters the watch vibrates when phone goes out of range), view phone’s time/date, simple two-button auto pairing operation, bright OLED display, reject/mute incoming calls (one button push mutes the phone’s ringer, two button pushes rejects the call), water resistant to 3 ATM, and compatibility with most Sony Ericsson Bluetooth phones. The watch also features a lithium rechargeable battery that lasts approximately 5-7 days based on conditions of use. The battery can be recharged through a USB or universal AC adapter.
The ABACUS branded product (MobileWear™ by ABACUS) comes in two styles: one with a stainless steel case and bracelet (style AU6001) and the other with a stainless steel case and black PU strap (style AU6002).
In stock now at Widget for £119.99 to £149.99.
This looks like an interesting (and rather nice looking) device, expect to see a full review on Geekanoids soon.
What has stayed on my desk & desktop
Over the past few years I have reviewed many many products. I thought it would be nice to mention the ones that I ended up purchasing myself. The software, hardware and accessories that were just too good to let go of. So here goes with my favourites that I use every day.
Yojimbo
This is a great piece of software, it lives in my dock and is running all the time in the background. If I come across something interesting on the web, I pop it into Yojimbo for later viewing. When I get a new piece of software and need to make a note of the serial number, again Yojimbo does the job for me. The notes feature is good too, before Yojimbo, if I took a phone call and had to write something down I often found that I sent an email to myself. Nowadays I just write the note down in Yojimbo, giving it a meaningful heading. When I move over to my desktop Mac, all my Yojimbo items come with me, thanks to the syncing over .mac support.
Griffin Technology
Although a recent addition to my kit, the Elevator, which I reviewed a couple of days ago, will be staying. I used an iCurve before, and this new stand is just superb. It helps me a great deal by raising my MacBook up to eye level, so it is much more comfortable to use.
Signature Suit
I love my Apple gear, so when it comes to protecting something from knocks and scratches, I am all for it. The Signature Suit from Case-Mate has stayed on my MacBook ever since I reviewed it. It is made of read leather and lined in soft material. The great thing about the Signature Suit, apart from the quality feel, is that it does not add much bulk to my laptop. So this one comes highly recommended.
Other items I use everyday include my MacBook, a Samsung 215TW monitor, 5th Gen iPod, and on the software front Quark Xpress 7, PhotoShop CS3, Adium, Skype, GarageSale, Firefox, NetNewsWire, Cyberduck, Toast Titanium 8, Downsize and Overflow (review of these last three soon).
Griffin Elevator - Raise your laptop to new heights !
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The Elevator from Griffin Technology, well there is no hiding that I love Griffin products, but maybe it has something to do with the ease of use, the winning designs, or perhaps that they are such a Mac friendly company. A few years ago I purchased an iCurve, which was and still is a beautifully designed stand, that I sat my PowerBook on, and it sat there at a nice comfortable height for working on at my desk. When I heard that a new product was being launched, I must admit to being a tad worried. With a design so good, why change it? How could it be improved.So, onto the new product, the Elevator is made up of three pieces. A right and a left side support stand and a brace made of of clear perspex that holds the two supports in position. The support stand's are made of brushed aluminum and match the PowerBook, MacBook Pro and Cinema Display perfectly. They are also curved at such an angle that is just right. This coupled with the simple slot-in perspex brace, really compliments the simple, yet totally effective design.
I tested the Elevator with a small laptop, namely a 12-inch PowerBook, which sat just fine the two supports, so anything larger than this will also be fine. My main laptop is a MacBook, and I also use a 21-inch Samsung widescreen monitor. Sitting the two side-by-side, the top of my MacBook was now almost level with the top of my external monitor. So I now had the joy of using a dual-screen display in a comfortable manner.
Of late, you may have noticed that my reviews have been covering products that improve the way we use our computers. The Mirra chair just last week, offers improved sitting positions. Well, the Elevator is Griffin's most ergonomic offering to date, it raises your laptop up 5.5-inches, to a very comfortable working height. Use it in conjunction with an external keyboard and mouse, and you will no longer be uncomfortably arching your neck to view your laptop screen.
As well as the improved working position, you have an added benefit for your laptop too. The airflow is greatly increased, so your laptop stays a lot cooler.
So, the Elevator does much the same as the iCurve, but with more style. The supports also seem more substantial, and I would be comfortable perching a 17-inch laptop weight on top of this stand. If you use your laptop a lot at a desk, I cannot recommend this product enough. At $39.99 it really is a no-brainer, it is a sensible purchase, that does a job very well and looks cool at the same time.
Product: Elevator
Price: $39.99
UK Street Price: £27.00
Supplied by: Griffin Technology
Contact: +1 (615) 399-7000
Herman Miller Mirra Chair Review - Sit Correctly
Saturday, January 20, 2007
It gives me great pleasure to bring you a review of the Herman Miller Mirra chair, an ergonomic solution for all those people like me (in fact, probably most of the population) who either sit in front of a computer, or at a desk as part of their job, or when they finish a hard days work for some internet surfing in the evening. I am not in a position to quote hard facts and figures, but I find myself sitting at a desk for around 8 hours per day, and I would guess that this is quite normal for a lot of people. We all have aches and pains, so during my research it was interesting to learn that a lot of these can be put down to bad posture and unnecessary fatigue by sitting in the same position for extended periods of time.Herman Miller offer well design chairs that provide the correct support and sitting positions, but in a form that does not look out of place in the modern office or home working situation. Design is often given priority by many people when choosing this type of product, so I was happy to see that the Mirra chair I am reviewing here really does look the part. Nice sleek lines, a very modern looking back and seat, and some nice colour combinations.
The company that supplied this chair to me was Home Working Solutions, a UK based company and authorised Herman Miller supplier. As well as the Mirra chair reviewed here, they also supply a wide range of ergonomic products and accessories including mice and keyboards.
For the Herman Miller range of chairs they offer a "Fast" service, which includes delivery at your home or office. The service has added value too, you don't just get a box dumped on your doorstep, you get the full lowdown on how the chair works, all the adjustments and benefits explained, and help with obtaining the correct settings for you.
On first sight, the Mirra chairs back looks kind of weird, but the varying size and shapes of the holes in the TriFlex back allows it to flex in different places. This really ensures that when you move it is both comfortable and offers the correct support. Taking a look around the back, there is also an easy to adjust lumbar support, which can be raised and lowered, and depth adjusted very easily. Even at this stage of setting up my Mirra chair, I was both hooked and impressed.
The seat height adjusts with gas assisted lift, the seat depth can be changed by rolling the front of the seat up and down, plus the leather padded arms can be height adjusted and angled accordingly. The adjustments don't end there, they continue with a very clever tilt lever. You can tilt the chair back, but also limit the amount the chair tilts, plus depending on your weight/strength, you can also adjust the force needed to tilt the chair by turning a tilt tension knob.
I had seen chairs that tilted before, but when tilting back with other chairs I found that the whole chair moved, so the seat angled back and my legs ended up in the air. The Mirra is different in this respect, as the seat and back moved independently, so your seat stays flat, this is an awesome design feature.
Prior to using the Mirra chair I often found myself perched on the edge of my seat, mainly because I was leaning forward to read something, or to carry out some intricate on-screen editing. The forward tilt option on the Mirra cures this bad habit, as the chair back tilts forward with your movement. This meant that I could now lean forward, but still have my back fully supported.
For a long time, I have got into many bad sitting habits, and I suspect that what I describe here is familiar to a lot of people. Making sure you sit correctly, have the correct posture, and frequently move and take breaks whilst working really is important. It keeps you feeling fresh and more productive. Now, the Mirra chair is not the most expensive in the Herman Miller range, but to some it may still seem quite expensive. At £499 it is a serious investment for most, but look at it another way and you are investing in your future and into increasing productivity. There is nothing worse than suffering with back ache, and a chair like this can certainly help a great deal. The Mirra comes with a 12 year warranty, with five years for the suspension seat part of the chair, with this in mind suddenly £499 for 12 years of use doesn't look so bad.
In conclusion, I would never have considered spending this much on a chair before trying one. Previous purchases for me would have been a visit to Argos or Ikea with a £60 or £70 budget. I have been there, done that, and found myself replacing my purchase year after year. Having had the privilege of using a Mirra chair, I would not hesitate in purchasing one. There are other chairs from Herman Miller, the more expensive Aeron and the lower priced Celle, As a start point the mid-range Mirra was very impressive and come highly recommended.
Product: Herman Miller Mirra Chair
Price: £495 (as tested)
Supplied by: Home Working Solutions
Fast Service Telephone: 0800 043 3278
General Enquiries: 020 8956 2880
Upcoming Reviews - Toast 8, Suitcase Fusion +
Friday, January 19, 2007
A little update for you all of the reviews planned for the next couple of weeks here at Geekanoids. Check back regularly or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up-to-date with Geekanoids News and Latest Reviews.Here is the rundown:
- Herman Miller Mirra Chair
- Roxio Toast 8
- Griffin Elevator
- Extensis Suitcase Fusion
- Stunt software's OverFlow and DownSize
- Pinnacle SoundBridge
- Crumpler Cheesy Disco Big Logo Bag
- Palm Treo 680 Smartphone
- Lindy HDMI Switch
- Panasonic DMR-EX85 DVD/HD Recorder
- Ixos Cables - too many to mention
- Griffin iTalk Pro
- Adobe PhotoShop CS2 Classroom in a Book
- All this plus much much more
iSkin launch ProTouch protection for MacBook
iSkin have launched their ProTouch keyboard protectors for the Apple MacBook. Available to order online now, these custom fit covers keeps all those nasty bits out of your keyboard.Colours available are frosted blue and pink, frosted clear, opaque black and 'Ghost' a glow in the dark affair. For $24.99 they seem like a good value for money buy. Check out the full details here and also check back on the Geekanoids website soon for a full review.
Cha-Ching helps you manage your money
I find dealing with money boring, but at the same time if I have a spending spree my online banking access is not always bang up to date. This can sometimes cause me a problem, as I have all my fresh shrunk wrap purchases on the table, but don't know if I have enough left for a steak 'n' chips or if I will have to manage with cheese on toast.This is where Cha-Ching steps up to the mark, this superb money manager from Midnight Apps promises to breathe some fun into managing your money. Well, the title gives it a good start, as do the icons within the app, everything has a feel good factor.
For most of the time, the app is split into a three pane view. The vault on the left gives you quick access to your paid and pending transactions, as well as an account list. Setting up an account is easy, you name it, assign a bank name to it, starting balance, and type of account. You can choose from checking, savings, credit or online. There is even space to enter the URL of the bank, which can then be viewed at any time using the 'online' tab, instead of having to go into your internet browser. Within the aptly named 'Vault' you can also set-up budget accounts, along with folders and smart folders for organising and sharing across a network.
Getting my test account ready took me about two minutes, and this is where the fun starts. Entering a withdrawal from my account was really easy, with all the details input through the right hand pane. You also get the option of taking a photograph of the item purchased, which is great fun. I snapped the photo of my DVD purchase using the MacBook's built-in iSight camera. This could prove useful for companies who may need proof of purchases for insurance purposes.
It is also possible to enter pending transactions for forthcoming expenses, and also if they are repeating you can choose between daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and yearly repeats. So what started out to look like a simple app, is full of very useful features, but remains easy to use.
I have only just touched the surface so far, so stay with me. At the top of the Cha-Ching application window when in accounts view, there are three tabs. 'Overview' is just that, it shows you your latest incoming and outgoing money, as well as upcoming transactions. The 'Transactions' tab again shows you a list of what is happening with your hard earned cash, but also provides a third pane showing more details about each entry. This third pane is also where you enter new transactions. The final 'Online' tab, which I mentioned earlier is a built-in browser, where you can view your online account. This makes it very easy to cross-reference things, without having to switch ot of Cha-Ching and into Firefox or Safari.
Well, now managing my money is fun again. Cha-Ching is in beta form at the moment (version 0.5) and already it is shaping up very nicely. The only thing I would like to see are some sound effects, like the cha-ching sound when I put money in, and maybe a discouraging arrrgggghhhh sound when I take money out.
Overall, I am really impressed, Cha-Ching offers lots of features, a very clean and easy to use layout, and that all important Mac feel. If you want to manage you money without it seeming like a task, then breathe some fun back into your banking and check out Cha-Ching. A 30 transaction demo is available from the link below, with a single user license costing $14.95.
Product: Cha-Ching
Cost: $14.95
Supplied by: Midnight Apps
Contact: support@chachingapp.com
LG prepares launch of iPhone competitor
Thursday, January 18, 2007
LG Electronics is readying the launch of the LG-KE850 mobile phone. Due to launch in February, little is known about the phone, apart from images showing a large touch screen on the front of the device making it look very similar to the iPhone. I am not expecting it to offer the massive features demonstrated by Steve Jobs at the MacWorld 2007 Keynote, but if it has a nice interface and offers good music playback, I think it will sell very well.LG did very well with the launch of their Chocolate and the new KE850 is expected to offer some great features and a wicked design too. The LG handset will be slightly smaller than the iPhone, 99mm by 54mm, with both being around 11mm thick. There are more images over at Mobil Portal.
Apple iPhone will cost $230 to make
The cost of manufacturing each 4GB Apple iPhone will cost $230 according to research by iSuppli and reported on over at the EETimes website. This could equate to over 50% gross margin for Apple Inc and Cingular Wireless. Great news for Apple and Cingular, but not being sure myself how such deals are cut, I would not draw any real conclusion from this. Do Apple get the majority of this profit, or is it shared equally with Cingular? Your guess is as good as mine.The report goes on to say "iSuppli estimates that 14 music-enabled mobile phones with features that compete closely with the Apple iPhone already are shipping from manufacturers including Nokia, Motorola Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and LG.
Shipments of music-enabled mobile phones will rise to 618.1 million units in 2007, up 39.9 percent from 441.7 million units in 2006, iSuppli predicts. By 2010, shipments of such phones will increase to 1 billion units."
You can read the full report here.
Mac users can download Vista
Well, sorry for the slightly misleading heading, this is not just for Mac users, but will be of interest if you plan to run Microsoft Vista under Bootcamp, Parallels or some other way. According to Electronista, the recently launched Microsoft Windows Marketplace will have various versions of Vista available to purchase and download from the 30th January. Worth noting in case you want to get hold of the OS quickly and with the minimum of fuss... if that is at all possible with Windows.