Altec Lansing T612 iPod & iPhone Speaker Review

It took a while before iPods speakers could work properly with iPhones, but this unit, the T612 from Altec Lansing offers a fantastic build quality. It also offers features like auto mute when a phone call comes in, so really does cater for the discerning iPhone owner. Check out the video review below.

Product: Altec Lansing T612
Price: £139
Supplied by: Altec Lansing
Contact: +44 (0)870 458 0011

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Mouse Review

If you need a mouse that is as happy on your desk as in your travel bag, then this could be just what you are looking for. The Slimblade Trackball Mouse from Kensington also has a trick up its sleeve. At the press of a button, you can transform this little rodent into a trackball. Check out the video review for a look at how it performs.

Product: Kensington Slimblade Trackball Mouse
Price: £61.99 (average price)
Supplied by: Kensington UK
Contact: +44 (0)845 603 1730

Iomega Professional Desktop Hard Drive Review

Storage is all important, whether you need it for your day-to-day work, or for backing up those important files, you can never have enough of it. A lot of users are now turning to off-site storage solutions, such as Amazons S3 service. However, if you need something fast and reliable, then there is no other option that a desktop hard drive.

Iomega have been in this game for a long time. I remember with a warm glow, the day when the original Zip Drive was released. Wow, all that data on a tiny little disk, the size of a fat 3.5-inch floppy. Well, they kindly sent me there Professional Series Desktop Hard Drive, with triple interface to review. Offering up 500GB of storage, with USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and two FireWire 800 ports lined up across the back panel. It is also nice to see an on/off switch on the back too (many drives don’t come with one now, they just turn on and off with the computer system they are connected to).

There is not normally a lot to get excited about with devices of this nature, but I must say that the feel of this unit is superb. Plastic front, back and sides, but a lovely brushed aluminum top and underside panel, gives it a really nice solid feel. It also comes supplied with all the cables you need (although my sample was missing the FireWire 800 cable), you should get USB, FW400 and FW800 cables in the box. The power supply is a small brick type affair, into which you plug a figure 8 cable for your particular country. A Quick Start Guide is also enclosed in printed form, along with a software CD that also includes EMC Retrospect backup software. There is also a small plastic stand included, so you can stand the unit on its side to save valuable desk space. If you prefer to put the unit down flat there are four small rubber feet to dampen any vibrations.

In use the Iomega drive performed flawlessly. The noise generated is pretty darn good, seeming quieter than some hard drives I have previously tested. This has a lot to do with the decent enclosure, build quality and no doubt damping on the hard drive. On the speed front, it performed as expected on USB 2 and FireWire 400. Using the FireWire 800 connection (if possible) is definitely the way to go. Data transfer was very fast indeed, and although this is not a comparative review, the Iomega was faster than a Freecom Pro hard drive, but a little slower than the Western Digital MyBook Studio edition.

The flexibility of the triple interface on the Iomega Pro Desktop Drive, coupled with the rock solid build quality, make this a very sensible choice. If it comes down to brand, then you cannot go far wrong with a manufacturer that has been around for so long. If you need 500GB or more of storage (this particular drive from the professional series goes up to 750GB with the triple interface, or 1.5TB with eSATA and USB2 interface), then this drive should definitely be on your shortlist.

Product: Iomega Professional Desktop Hard Drive (#33648)
Price: £119.99
Supplied by: Iomega Europe
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Ring RAC600 Automatic Digital Air Compressor Review

From time to time we bring you alternative reviews, and whilst this one is far out wide to the left, it is worth covering. Over the next month, we will also bring you reviews of two other great products from the same company, that cross over nicely into the tech world, so stay tuned.

The Ring Automotive RAC600 is a automatic digital air compressor. You can use it to pump up all your inflatable toys (footballs, swimming pools etc), guest beds and much more. Where it really excels is the units accuracy when used for car tyres. Plug it into a 12V accessory socket in your vehicle, predial the psi/bar setting, press the big yellow button and the RAC600 springs into action. Whilst it is doing its inflation the noise is a bit of an eye opener, but it it no noisier than other units on the market. Once inflated, the unit stops, and upon checking the results the RAC600 was spot on in ten out of the ten tests I performed. So top marks there.

The 12V (cigarette lighter) plug is fitted with a 3.3m cable, plus the air hose length is pretty good. This means that even on larger vehicles you should have no problem in reaching the four corners. There is also a white directional torch light and a red light that could be used if you find yourself stranded at the roadside. When your finished, the power cable and air house wind up and pack neatly inside the main unit. The whole thing then packs nicely into the supplied zip case.

For around £25 the RAC600 is very good value, and will certainly save you a lot of time and effort. Great for motorists and equally as useful for those holiday beach trips with the rubber dingy.

Product: Ring Automotive RAC600 Digital Air Compressor
Price: £25 average
Supplied by: Ring Automotive
Contact: +44 (0)113 213 7389

Fuji Finepix Z100fd Digital Camera Review

Finding a good digital camera nowadays is pretty easy. If you do your homework, good photos on a budget can be achieved. If you need to find a really compact camera, then sometimes things like lens quality and features are compromised. The Fuji Finepix Z100fd reviewed here really feels well made and most certainly delivers excellent images. Check out the video review below.

Product: Fuji Finepix Z100fd
Price: £134.99 (Amazon UK)
Supplied by: Fujifilm UK
Contact: +44 (0)870 084 1310

Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve Review

If like me, you want to take care of your laptop, then you should check this review out. Thickly padded laptop cases are all well and good, but sometimes it is nice to see some sleek design lines, in a case that does not add too much bulk. The Protective Laptop Case from Proporta does just that. Check out the review below.

Product: Protective Laptop Case
Price: $40 (£20 approx)
Supplied by: Proporta UK
Contact: +44 (0) 845 123 2848

Teach Yourself Visually Mac OS X Leopard Review

I consider myself a whizz when it comes to Mac OS X Leopard, so don't really like to read books. However, this book from Wiley caught my attention. It is one of many in the 'Teach Yourself Visually' range and the reason it differs from other so called Missing Manuals, is the full colour pictures. The way it is presented is superb and I learnt some new tricks too. Check out the video review for a taste of what a bargain this book really is.

Product: Teach Yourself Visually Mac OS X Leopard
ISBN: 978-0-470-10167-4
Pages: 352
Price: £19.99
Supplied by: Wiley Publishing
Contact: click here

Epson P-5000 Photo Viewer Review

If you are a keen photographer, then you will know how important it is not to lose your data, or to run out of space whilst out and about. The Epson P-5000 Photo Viewer allows you to free up some space on your compact flash and secure digital memory cards. It also plays movies and MP3 files, so you really should check out the review below.

Product: Epson P-5000 Photo Viewer
Price: £390 (Amazon)
Supplied by: Epson UK
Contact: 08702 416900

LaCie Mini Disk Hard Drive Review

They say that 'good things come in small packages', but in contrast 'size doesn't matter'. The Lacie Mini Disk hits home on the first, but proves that size does matter, with its small proportions delivering a very handy portable hard drive that just oozes style and performance. Check out the video review below.

Product: LaCie Mini Disk 160GB Dual Interface
Price: £89.90 (was £99)
Supplied by: LaCie UK
Contact: sales.uk@lacie.com

iSkin Cerulean X1 Earphones - Blissfully Good

Pumping those iPod sounds into your brain is an easy task, but to do it with style you need to invest in earphones other than those supplied in the box. The iSkin Cerulean X1 in-ear style earphones offer superb construction, some impressive specifications, and they really can add some bling to your ears too.

For just under $100 (or £50 in the UK) you have a lot of earphones to choose from, so the Cerulean X1 really need to deliver. First impressions out of the box are that the X1's are really built very very well. They just ooze quality. The simple matte black design, accented by some polished black and silver details mean that you could easily mistake them for jewellery. But being pretty is only half the equation...

Getting in the comfort zone is very easy too, the silicone earbuds are very comfortable indeed. They do not go really deep into the ear canal (like some other manufacturers earphones), instead they go just far enough in to give a good noise isolation from your exterior surroundings. Playing simple elegant pieces of music, with vocals, results in a very pleasant sound. The vocals are warm and the detail is not lost in the slightest. Moving onto more complicated tracks with deep bass (for example Black Eyed Peas... yes I like them) and the X1's give an ultra deep response. they never sound muddy or distorted, even at high volumes they perform superbly. This sonic performance can really be attributed to the metal allow speaker house and the 9mm drivers that use, and I quote "rare neodymium earth magnets". I have listened to a lot of earphones in all my years reviewing and the X1's are certainly the most well behaved. That doesn't mean they are dull though, in fact they are very exciting and engaging to listen with.

If you want to update your iPod earphones, then the Cerulean X1's from iSkin are a must buy.

Product: iSkin Cerulean X1 Earphones
Price: £69.99
Supplied by: iSkin Inc.
Contact: click here

Griffin Technology RoadTrip with Smartscan Review

Having always loved my music, listening whilst on the move is a pleasure with my iPod. When driving though, it has been problematic. You can't really wear earphones whilst driving, so getting my iPod to play through my car stereo is the only option. I have used many products in the past, some of which charge my iPod whilst in the car, others that transmit the signal to my car stereo, and some that do both. With so much to choose from, when the Griffin RoadTrip popped through my letterbox, I knew it would be good, but why should you spend your money on this rather than another product? Let's take a look to find out.

Griffin Technology have made FM transmitters for the iPod for a very long time. This new version has been updated for the very latest models, including the 'touch' and the 'classic'. It is finished in a nice matte black colour, with very tactile buttons for operating the unit. The RoadTrip plugs directly into the 12V socket in your car and has a steel gooseneck attached (also powder coated in black). This can be bent to give you easy positioning of your iPod, which is very important, you don't have to overstretch to reach your iPod controls. The other end holds your iPod in place, the fit is good due to the accurately size dock inserts for your particular iPod model. Three control buttons are neatly laid out underneath, with a small display just above them.

New to this model is SmartScan. Previous models had you searching for an empty frequency and then dialing in the same on your FM transmitter. SmartScan searches for you and in my tests I found it very accurate. SmartSound is also very effective and when this feature is engaged, the sound seems to sound a lot clearer, albeit dropping down to a mono output. Another really nice feature for iPod touch users, is the ability to skip back and forth through your music tracks using the RoadTrip's buttons, rather than fiddling with the touch screen whilst driving.

Build quality is superb, as is the functionality of the new Griffin Technology RoadTrip. It is this quality, coupled with the design features, in a device that works superbly, that keeps Griffin ahead of the game. Yes, you can buy cheaper, but is you want something that works flawlessly, then get a RoadTrip (with SmartScan) and enjoy your iPod sounds whilst on the move.

Product: Griffin Technolgy RoadTrip with SmartScan
Price: $100
Price: £39.99 (average UK)
Supplied by: Griffin Technolgy
Contact: +1 (615) 399-7000

Red Maloo Laptop Sleeve (MacBook Pro) Review

If you want to protect your MacBook Pro with something a little different, then check out this offering from Red Maloo. Their laptop sleeve certainly offers a lot of design thought, and a sleeve that is very pleasing to the eye. With matching iPod sleeves also available, this is definitely worth checking out.

Product: Red Maloo Laptop Sleeve
Price: £75
Supplied by: Red Maloo
Contact: link here

Asus EeePC RM MiniBook Review

If you need something nice and compact for your children (or yourself) without spending too much cash, then take a look at our review of the Asus EeePC (also know as the RM MiniBook). This tiny wonder is so cheap and very well made, it certainly impressed me with what you get for your money. There are a few of these popping up nowadays, but the Asus version feels like a proper laptop, with excellent build quality and a nice crisp clear screen.

Product: Asus EeePC - RM MiniBook
Price: £169 (from)
Supplied by: RM
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