From Precious
August, 2009
The handbag that’s making some noise!
PRECIOUS loves this modern twist on the classic boom box. the Memorex MiniMove is a portable, handbag-shaped iPod dock that brings the music to your party, picnic or trip to the beach.
Available in matching iPod Nano colours - black, teal and pink - the integrated handle lets you carry your tunes in a smart, simple and fun way. All you have to do is plug in your iPod/iPhone or any other MP3 Player and you can start enjoying the music.
The Memorex MiniMove lets you play and charge all iPods/iPhones with docking compatibility and includes an FM radio with station presets. It also comes with a wireless remote and is equipped with a headphone socket for when you need to keep the noise down. In addition to this the MiniMove offers a choice of power sources; AC/DC for when you are at home, and AA batteries for on the move.
Costs £59 from selected retailers.
The Hybrid PA Bag
We're liking this! This Hybrid PA Bag comes from the Live Luggage family of
first power assisted luggage
launched last Summer.
Motorised wheels? Check! Anti-gravity handle? Check! The Hybrid PA Bag also includes a laptop case and overnight travel bag which can both be separately removed to suit the differing check-in requirements of the world’s airlines.
BTW: the “anti-gravity” handle is height-adjustable, so no matter how tall or short you are, 85% of the weight of the luggage is balanced over the suitcase wheels.
On smooth level surfaces, such as an airport concourse, this means that minimal effort is required to pull the case and it won’t scuff your shoes or bang into your legs.
The wheels are powered by a rechargeable battery the same size as a standard laptop charger.
The Live Luggage Hybrid PA Bag will launch exclusively at The
Gadget Show Live at NEC in Birmingham on April 17th ’09.
To register for the limited edition go to www.liveluggage.com
Wall/Air Ultra Thin Notebook Power Adapter
When you're on the move you gotta have power...laptop power that is.
This Wall Ultra Thin Power Adapter from Kensington will not only stop your laptop
from running out of battery,
but, its USB power port, keeps your other essential accessories (ipod,
mobile phone, PDA) fired up too. It's lightweight design means you can
pack into even your smallest bag, we think it’s the only adapter you’ll
need to travel with. Priced about £60.
Iqua HBS-701 Bluetooth Headset Reviewed
What they said: “ Iqua Freedom BHS-701 is a light-weight, portable stereo headset with a sporty grey and orange design, making it easy to talk, communicate, and enjoy music handsfree. Designed for the young and young-at-heart, this trendy stereo handset brings mobility to life with its on-the-go, over-the-ears concept.
Foremost in the long list of its features is the superior sound quality which allows for usage beyond the normal headset like listening to crystal-clear music completely handsfree”
Our reviewer said: The headset is a behind-the-neck type. There are five control buttons, a usb socket for charging and microphone built in to the right ear-piece. Iqua claims the battery life at 12 hours for talk and 10 hours for music listening. I did not use the set long enough to verify this. Included in the package is a mains charger. It is possible to charge the set using a usb cable to a pc, although this is not mentioned in the user guide or Iqua’s website.
When the headset was initially switched on it automatically entered ‘pairing mode.’ I was then able to connect to it using my Nokia 6233, and after entering the passcode (0000) the phone recognised the device as a headset. I was then able to make phone calls and play my MP3 files through the headset. Like a wired headset, an incoming phone call paused the music automatically.
Call quality was fine, about what I expected. Music quality however was very disappointing, not living up to Iqua’s claim of ‘Crystal-clear sound.’ To make matters worse, the headset did not do a good job of blocking out background noise, so it may not be a good choice for use on the tube or other noisy environment. Iqua claim a range of up to 10 metres, although I experienced drop-outs and stuttering even when I was right next to the phone/pc, just when moving my head slightly.
After some investigation I discovered that my Nokia 6233 does not support stereo sound over Bluetooth, so I connected the headset to my pc. After disconnecting and reconnecting several times I finally managed to get the pc to recognise the headset and output music to it using Windows Media player. The sound quality here was much better, although not fantastic. It was however, in stereo. Iqua has a list of devices that support stereo over Bluetooth on their website www.iqua.com.
I found the function of the buttons on the headset confusing. Most the headset functions are operated using the multifunction button, with the function varying depending on the length of time the button is pressed. Several times I tried to switch the headset off and instead it re-dialled the last phone number, also, the track forward and rewind buttons did not work with my phone. I found the headset very uncomfortable after only 30 minutes use. To make matters worse, the neckband is not adjustable.
I would only recommend this product for making phone calls unless your phone/pda supports high-quality Bluetooth transmission. Although it can be used with a pc, unless you really need to go wireless, you would probably be better off with USB headset or headphones.
Packard Bell GPS satellite navigation system
Reviewed
This review has to start with a caveat: I was not in a good mood when testing this product. Top scientists may frown. Dedicated engineers may sneer. But when you walk round the corner with a new toy clutched in your little hot hand - in this case a Packard Bell GPS satellite navigation system - only to find some sneaky scuzzball has smashed the window of your car and pinched your stereo, high-minded objectivity is cast to the winds.
I say cast to the winds deliberately. To say it went out the window would be to step all over a sore point.
Let me first take a step back though. I was excited, and not without reason. I’m no gadget freak, but we all like things that look cool. It’s a simple thing. When you have something in your car that looks cool, you feel good, your friends are impressed, and if you can figure the damn thing out it might even be useful.
And the Packard Bell GPS 400 looks pretty cool. It has a three-and-a-half inch colour screen. You navigate by touching the screen, either with a finger or the blunt end of a pen. It’s all silver and black, and it attaches to your motorised carriage via a short lead with one of those big round rubber things that let you stick stuff to windows. You know the things I mean, kids love them and then you can’t get whatever they’ve stuck to your living room window off again, not for love nor money.
So, for a gadget in the sub-£200 range, it looks cool. It also has a clear and practical screen, good navigation software with voice guided directions, dynamic routing (and re-routing), photo-viewing software (why?) and even an MP3 player. All in all, you can understand why I was more excited than a 3-year-old with a Buzz Lightyear doll.
But then the window. And the absent stereo, wires dangling forlornly from my dash. And suddenly, testing this shiny new toy didn’t seem quite so exciting after all.
The first problem was a very minor one. The rubber sticker had all the adhesive qualities of high heels on ice. I rubbed it, I licked it, I dried it, I jammed it up against my windscreen with all the strength I could muster. Once or twice it stuck for a few minutes, and would then hurl itself onto the passenger seat or into my lap, usually when I was trying to navigate a particularly tricky corner.
But Messrs Packard and Bell will not worry much if this is the biggest problem with their product. “He got a dud”, they will say. And that may be so. With second quibble, however, is more genuine.
I have thin fingers. I’m a skinny person. But whenever I had to touch the button in the top right hand corner to close a box, it was like trying to thread a needle. In fact, a needle was just what I needed. Touch screens are not all that great when the gadget thinks your fingers are too chubby to be touching it at all. This – perhaps due to my somewhat perturbed state – led to considerable frustration.
Then I managed to switch into 3D mode. 3D is a selling point for sat-nav systems, but if someone could explain the reason for this I’d be eternally grateful. It looks like technology for the sake of it to me, and is thoroughly confusing if you’re trying to navigate south London using it.
The most practical problem with the GPS 400 though is a total lack of a postcode search. Without it, getting the right co-ordinate plugged in at the start of your journey becomes a little bit hit and miss. But hey, if you get a little lost just kick back with some tunes on the MP3 player, you’ll get there in the end.
And don’t worry about the battery, it’s good for near 4 hours and is easily rechargable via the cigarette lighter. When close to your destination you can slip the gadget into a pouch (although the GPS 400 itself is not so svelte as to fit into any pocket I had) and navigate the final few hundred yards using the pedestrian guidance, which is pretty good.
There is an AC adaptor, USB cable for connecting to the PC and the MMC card containing the mapping, and the mounting for it comes as standard. This all constitutes decent value for the £199 price tag. But if you have pudgy fingers, like me, you’d better take something along to help you work that screen!