We use gadgets and let you know whether they’re any good! Reviews, news and opinion on all things gadgets.
The Nokia 6131 is a handy phone.
It’s easy to use, comes with a fantastic array of features and the 16.7m true colour screen is awfully good looking. In fact if you’re after a phone that has some great features, and you’re not ready to enter the world of 3G mobile networks, then this is the phone for you.
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
Loading ...Update 12/12/06
I received the replacement unit from Belkin to day and I’m pleased to report that the new cable works just fine. It was recognised by both PCs when it was plugged in and file transfer was seamless.
Very happy with the service from Belkin and their quick response to the problem. Maybe need to do some better testing of products they sell but at least I can report that the cable is a really useful device for transferring large or multiple files between computers.
Now on with an edited version of the original review…
Next up for a test is the Belkin USB 2.0 File Transfer Cable (F3U150), which as the name suggests is a cable that attempts to make file transfers between two PCs as effortless as possible.
It’s a good way to move large amounts of data between computers quickly if you don’t have a fast network (which most home users don’t have).
Continue reading ‘Belkin USB transfer cable - works just fine!’
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5) Loading ...Here’s a new blogging tool we discovered recently. It’s called Performancing and it’s a blogging tool that is easily accessible in Firefox. It’s an add-on so easily downloaded and added to Firefox. The interface is very simple, and the set up is most reliable.
For some it could be overly complicated, and if you don’t use Technorati or Del Icio.Us then it’s probably not going to be that useful to you. However there are some nice features.
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5) Loading ...Well this jury has delivered their verdict, and the verdict is Firefox rocks. There is new range of features including a dictionary for you to use when you’re entering data into a text field on the Web.
We toyed with IE7 but when Firefox 2 came on to the scene, its just obvious that it is far superior. The range of Add-ons is extraordinary and the functionality that you can tweak into the application is astounding.
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5) Loading ...Well, we now can post our views on the R1F by Asus, having been using it now for a couple of weeks. First up, we can safely say we are very impressed.
This review isn’t going to be hugely technical, so if you are looking for significant technical information, this review is not going to satisfy you.
For its price point and its load of features, including a Core2 Duo processor, this notebook constitutes pretty good value. But where is comes into its own is its ease of use.
Not having used a tablet PC notebook before we were a bit dubious about the benefits or otherwise. It is safe to say now that a tablet is pretty cool. We love the ability to configure the screen in all sorts of ways, and this one’s configuration is easily set up through the Intel Graphics driver.
The hardware set up seems to be the most common Australian setup on the market: Core2Duo T7200 2.0Ghz, 120GB HD 5400rpm, 2×512Mb DDR2, 13.3″WXGA+ Colourshine, 945GM/128Mb Shared Video Memory, DVD-Dual Layer, 802.11ABG Wifi, 10/100/1000+BT, Bag+Mouse, Handwriting Input Support, XP Tablet Edition.
It comes with two bags, a Bluetooth mouse and a very nice box that we haven’t yet quite worked out what to do with, as we sure as hell aren’t taking this notebook back! It’s a keeper.
The screen takes some getting used to as it’s a bit grainy with the stylus screen overlaid, but it isn’t annoying once you’ve adjusted to it. The brightness of the screen is great and DVDs look fine — not that we spend a great deal of time watching them on a notebook anyway, that’s what we have televisions for.
The speed of the notebook with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is great.
But what we really love is the range of ways you can hold this notebook and surf the web, enter text or data, and generally find a comfortable position for working that isn’t sitting at a desk or resting the thing on your lap.
It is a little heavy for balancing in one hand, but you can use it in different positions, rest it in different ways so that you can have it with you just about anywhere you can think of needing a notebook.
It’s great for lazy weekend mornings in bed running through the newspapers on the web. And here’s a tip for Firefox users - get these two extensions:
These two add-ons combined make navigation and text entry using the stylus and absolute joy. Very cool.
The screen rotation from notebook to tablet is very easy and works well. We were worried that the screen would wobble a bit with only a centre attachment to the rest of the unit, but it works very well and is quite sturdy.
Bluetooth and wireless were all flawless and it took no time to set it up on the network. We are getting up to 3 hours on the battery with the notebook in Battery Saving Mode, although the slowdown in processing speed is noticeable. Put the notebook in Quiet Office mode and you still get speed and around 2 and a bit hours of battery use out of it. Not too shabby. We aren’t road warriors so this isn’t really an issue for us.
The recognition of handwriting in XP Tablet is extremely accurate, although it will depend on how neatly you write. We have had not trouble with it. Although it must be said that a keyboard is still a much faster way of entering text. But when you’re browsing in tablet mode, its easy enough to get around.
The only thing we haven’t been able to get working is the biometric fingerprint reader thingy. We have tired but maybe our fingers are just too big (or fat?) or who knows? In any event, we are not going to be putting any sensitive material on the machine anyway, and there are other protection methods. We’d love to hear from others that may have experience difficulty and solved this one. It just doesn’t read the fingerprint at all — hardware issue?
However, all in all, we would have no problem recommending this computer to anyone considering buying one. The R1F is pretty expensive, but no more so than other Asus laptops with similar features bar the tablet thing. And in comparison to other tablet PCs, this one blows them out of the water we reckon.
You’re probably thinking that you don’t need a tablet PC. You may be right. But if you can get a laptop with tablet feature for no extra money than you’d spend on a notebook anyway, then why not? Apart from the wow factor, it does actually make browsing the Internet and some other things a little more convenient.
The R1F is rich with features and we reckon it should be a reliable companion for a number of years. So far we haven’t got any complaints.
(15 votes, average: 4.27 out of 5) Loading ...
