The most recent Hardware Reviews from Incisive Media

Oregon Scientific WMR100 Advanced Weather Station

Simon Williams — 2009-11-06T17:26:00.000Z

Simon Williams, Computeractive, Friday 6 November 2009 at 17:26:00

Compete with the Meteorological Office with this complete local weather station

It’s common to see desktop weather monitors that include a thermometer and barometer and predict fine or stormy weather based on changes in air pressure.

This Oregon WMR100 Scientific weather station goes further. Although its base station has the same type of screen display, there is a lot more on it, as it connects wirelessly to two external sensors to monitor wind direction and strength as well as temperature and rainfall.

These sensors took some assembly and careful mounting, with staples and guy ropes in the case of the wind sensor. All the kit is well made with – for example, a three-piece steel pole to mount the wind monitor on and a mesh gauze to filter detritus out of captured water in the rain gauge.

The electronic set-up was made particularly easy by the automated nature of the system. The wind and rain sensors connected automatically and were calibrated with minimal intervention, though we did have to use a compass to tell the wind sensor which way north was.

The base station picks up the time from the atomic-radio clock at Cumbria and adjusts its calendar and moon phase display as soon as it gets an accurate time.

There is a mini-USB socket on the side of the base station which connects to a PC and, once you have downloaded the display software from the Oregon Scientific website, it’s possible to feed weather data through to this program for logging and display.

From a usability point of view the software is the weak link as it has a much more complicated – and rather untidy – design and little of the automated setup that was such a strong feature of the rest of the package.

The users have to determine arcane settings such as which Com port the base station is connected to (not obvious with a USB connection) and the latitude and longitude of your location, together with its height above sea level.

If you get around this lot, the software is pretty thorough. It can log readings from the weather station so you can see how weather events progress over time. It will not necessarily help with prediction, but the whole station is more about monitoring and recording than guessing tomorrow’s weather.

Elonex iGame

Paul Lester — 2009-11-06T16:35:00.000Z

Paul Lester, Computeractive, Friday 6 November 2009 at 16:35:00

A fun and innovative new take on the iPod dock

The release of an iPod dock may not appear to be very exciting – there are already plenty of them available – but in the iGame, computer maker Elonex has added appeal.

In addition to working as an iPod dock, the device doubles up as a simple games console that attaches to your television set.

The iGame is built into a white and silver oval-shaped casing that looks good against Apple’s devices and is designed to connect to a TV to offer access to either the player’s music, video and photos or any of the 20 games included.

Elonex has taken a leaf out of Nintendo’s book by providing a motion-sensitive controller, similar to the one supplied with Nintendo’s Wii console. In keeping with this approach the majority of titles supplied with the console are based around sport and puzzles.

Up to four players can compete at once, although this requires additional controllers that have to be bought separately for £20 each - it comes with a single controller in the box. Other accessories such as dance mats are promised in the future.

In truth the ‘console’ behaves rather like a simplified version of the Wii, and it’s worth clarifying that although the controllers offer vibration feedback, they are not as accurate and do not have the same range of motion as the Wii’s.

That makes the gaming side of the iGame much more suitable for kids than older gamers, and in this light it works well as a family product, with the adults more likely to use the iPod connection.

This was again rather basic but worked very well, giving quick and easy access to iPod-style menus. It works with all current players but it’s not fully compatible with the iPhone, which you will need to put in aeroplane mode to reduce interference.

It’s possible to browse and view videos and music directly from any connected iPod and Elonex says photo support is on the way in a downloadable update.

The iGame can be updated regularly to add features, which should increase its appeal. Elonex has made the console available for software development on an open-source basis, which means anyone can create programs for it.

The company expects future software to be available at prices ranging from £1 to £5. It also promises refinements and tweaks to the interface and features through future updates.

The biggest factor that makes the iGame appealing is the price. At £79 it offers good value and even if it will have limited appeal for adults as a games machine, the iGame is a good idea for a Christmas present, particularly for families with younger children.

Netgear XAVB1004 Homeplug AV adapter kit

Kelvyn Taylor — 2009-11-05T12:37:00.000Z

Kelvyn Taylor, Computeractive, Thursday 5 November 2009 at 12:37:00

High-speed networking for up to four devices – without wires

Netgear’s XAVB1004 kit plugs straight into your mains electricity wiring to network up to four devices using the Homeplug AV technology.

The package contains a single grey Homeplug AV adapter (model number XAV101), a small black Homeplug AV switch (XAV1004), two network cables and a mains lead for the switch.

The kit is simple to set up. Plug the single adapter into a mains socket (extension sockets can disrupt the network) and connect the network cable to a spare port on your router.

Plug the switch into another mains socket, wait a few seconds and that’s it. You can connect up to four devices – computers, consoles, printers and more – to the switch so they can be accessed over the network.

It’s a great alternative to using a wireless network. The 200Mbits/sec connection, shared between four network ports on the switch, is fast enough to stream high-definition video.

Available speeds depend on the kind of devices you have plugged and how many there are. Wiring quality and electrical interference will also affect performance.

The ports are colour-coded to prioritise certain devices. The two green ports are used to connect high-speed devices such as games consoles and the yellow ports are used for slower devices such as printers.

You do not need to configure the device and a software utility is included in the package for troubleshooting and changing advanced network settings, although this is probably best left to experts.

If you don't like blinking lights, the status LEDs on the adapters can be switched off and the network is automatically encrypted to prevent unauthorised access.

More adapters can be added as needed, but watch out for two rival standards - Homeplug and UPA. Netgear sells both types, so if you already have another adapter, check first that it’s a Homeplug one.

The XAVB1004 kit is great if your wireless connections don’t work well or you don’t want to run network cables around your house.

Samsung N510

Anthony Dhanendran — 2009-11-04T17:19:00.000Z

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Wednesday 4 November 2009 at 17:19:00

A large-screen netbook that can play HD video

Samsung’s N510 computer is halfway between a netbook and a laptop. It uses an Intel Atom processor, but it’s an Atom N280 model, a step up from the N270 found in similar computers.

Like a netbook, it is missing a CD or DVD drive, instead using the space saved to reduce its overall size. It’s a slimline device and easy to carry around, but it’s larger than most of its rivals as it has a 12in widescreen rather than 10in.

It’s similar in size to the Packard Bell Dot m/a computer but its graphics capabilities account for the price premium.

Most netbooks are designed for office work, mobility and to play basic video, but the Samsung N510 uses Nvidia’s new Ion graphics chipset so it can play video much better than other computers.

We tested it with a few standard high-definition movie clips in the 720p format, something that would be fine on many desktops and larger notebooks but without would usually tax a netbook to its limits, resulting in stuttering, juddery playback.

On the N510 our sample clips played back beautifully and looked superb on the reasonably large screen.

The computer comes with a HDMI connector to attach it to a flat-panel TV or a high-definition projector and has three USB sockets and a wired network port (it can also connect to wired networks and Bluetooth devices).

The design is nice and flat without the rounded curves of its brother, the N310, and there is a slight jut at the bottom of the body from the large battery, which gave four hours in our tests.

Despite the large screen, it’s still a slim laptop and easy to carry around.

The N510 comes with the Samsung power-management software to control the brightness, processor power and more to conserve the battery when the computer is not plugged in.

The keyboard size is reasonable, with keys big enough to type on and comfortable enough for long periods of typing. The trackpad also benefits from the larger size of the N510, as it’s a bit bigger than most.

For simple office and internet tasks the N510 is overkill. A smaller, cheaper device such as the Samsung N310 is more than adequate for this and even for playing standard video.

For those who want to do a bit more, though, or those who just want a mobile laptop with a bigger screen the N510 is an excellent choice.

Review: Samsung P410 LED projector

Will Stapley — 2009-11-04T09:00:00.000Z

Will Stapley, V3.co.uk, Wednesday 4 November 2009 at 09:00:00

LED projector offers firms a portable big screen for presentations

Aimed squarely at business users who need a portable big screen for presentations, LED projectors such as the Samsung P410 are lighter and smaller than traditional lamp-driven projectors. And thanks to the use of LEDs, they also don't require expensive lamp replacements.

Of course, there are some drawbacks, the major one being performance. Rated at 170 ANSI lumens, the P410 falls way behind traditional projectors in terms of brightness. However, as with the 160 ANSI lumen LG HS102 projector we reviewed earlier this year, it performs admirably, even in a reasonably well-lit room.

At a distance of 2m, we managed a projection size of 55in. Naturally, the picture looked far better when the projector was closer to the wall, and at a distance of 1m we achieved a bright projection at a size of 30in.

Colours are vibrant, which makes PowerPoint presentations look particularly good. It's also capable of video playback, although movie watching isn't recommended as detail is lost during darker scenes.

Menu options, including vertical keystone correction and aspect ratio, can be accessed using the touch-sensitive controls on the top of the device; these are slightly raised from the surface, which aids usability.

At the rear, analogue audio inputs are joined by a choice of two video inputs: VGA and composite. There's also a USB port, allowing for video, audio and photos to be played back direct from a USB key. It's a shame Samsung hasn't fitted an HDMI port. Of course, the projector's native resolution of 800 x 600 means it can't handle high-definition video but, with most laptops now home to an HDMI port, it's a neat way of carrying audio and video through a single cable.

It is, however, good to see that Samsung has included two built-in 1W speakers. They sound particularly tinny and won't help out much when watching a movie, but at full volume they're powerful enough to fill a reasonably-sized meeting room. They will, however, have to complete with the rather noisy built-in fan which Samsung rates at 28dB.

As far as portability goes, the P410 weighs 950g and is one of the heavier LED projectors on the market. That said, it's far lighter than a traditional projector, and is also more compact at just 148mm wide, 66mm tall and 146mm deep. There's no battery option, though, so you'll need to cart the rather bulky power adapter around with you.

In terms of performance, the Samsung P410 is one of the most impressive LED projectors we've seen. And, with its curved edges and chrome-style lens cover, it's also one of the most attractive. The obvious drawback, however, is that it costs a rather hefty £499.

If you need a projector that you can take with you while travelling, the P410 would be a good choice. The Acer K10 is an alternative that's £100 cheaper but, at just 100 ANSI lumens, it can't match the P410 in terms of brightness.

PC Specialist Vortex i5 750GTS

Anthony Dhanendran — 2009-11-03T15:29:00.000Z

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Tuesday 3 November 2009 at 15:29:00

A fast desktop PC with an Intel Core i5 processor

The ‘i5’ in the name of PC Specialist’s new Vortex i5 750GTS refers to the computer’s processor, which is one of the new Core i5 models from Intel.

It’s the company’s newest range of quad-core processors, and while the i5 750 processor in this computer is not top of the range it’s still extremely fast.

The Vortex i5 750GTS has 4GB of memory and an Nvidia Geforce GTS250 graphics card that has 1GB of its own memory.

For storage there is a 750GB hard disk and a DVD burner that will read and write all kinds of discs except Blu-ray. This can also etch labels onto special discs using Lightscribe technology. It also has a memory card reader.

The computer comes in a heavy all-metal case with a stylish door on the front that conceals the drive bays, DVD writer, memory card reader and one of the 15 USB ports (there are four more on the side of the front door and ten on the back panel).

It also covers the power and reset switches. There is lots of room for expansion inside, with two of the four memory sockets free and plenty of space for extra disc drives (Blu-ray, for example).

The graphics card has both DVI and VGA outputs for connection to monitors and a 22in Acer model was supplied with our review unit, with cables for both kinds of connection.

It was a good-quality screen with decent colour reproduction, sharpness and brightness. The computer also has a HDMI output so it can be connected to a suitable flat-panel television screen.

In addition to the ports and sockets we talked about above, there are eSata and Firewire sockets, a wired network connection, keyboard and mouse sockets and sound outputs and inputs (including an optical sound output).

As a desktop computer it cannot connect to wireless networks or Bluetooth without adding extra hardware but that is no great loss given that the Vortex i5 750GTS isn’t designed to be mobile.

The keyboard and mouse supplied were reasonable Logitech wireless models, with batteries included so you can get going straight away.

It comes with a one-year warranty and the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, as well as Nero and Cyberlink software for creating and playing discs.

PC Specialist helpfully supplied all the manuals for the various components, along with a friendly, easy-to-follow quick start booklet. Impressively, PC Specialist supplies a full Windows 7 CD in the box, not just a system restore disc.

At just under £800 the Vortex i5 750GTS is not cheap, even when it comes to gaming computers.

However, the components in this computer are top-notch, with a processor and graphics card that are well capable of playing recent games at high levels of detail.

For tasks such as video editing, which are similarly hard on the computer’s processor (and sometimes the graphics card) it’s also a superb choice of computer.

If you are more of a light user, with email and word processing in mind, we would not recommend a computer this powerful.

But as a family workhorse, say, that can handle lots of different tasks, and with its enormous amount of storage space and expansion options, the i5 750GTS is an excellent choice.

For more information about the computer, and to buy, click here.

Packard Bell Dot m/a UK020

Simon Williams — 2009-11-02T17:22:00.000Z

Simon Williams, Computeractive, Monday 2 November 2009 at 17:22:00

A great small notebook that includes a variety of software, ideal for office tasks

Netbooks have been growing in size since the first Asus Eee PC hit the streets. The original was almost pocket-sized, with a 7in screen and a processor only powerful enough for simple browsing and office tasks.

Packard Bell’s new Dot m/a, available from Tesco Direct, is much more like a notebook in miniature, with an 11.6in widescreen display, 2GB of memory and an unusual combination of processor and graphics chipset.

The Dot m/a uses a 64-bit AMD Athlon processor, with a graphics chipset from ATI. The two work well together to give performance in our tests that was a touch above the netbook standard (they tend to use slower Intel Atom processors).

For normal office tasks and even for graphic editing and some video work, the dot m/a felt in control, and was even up to the performance of some of the mid-range full-size laptops we have seen.

Although, as we expected, the Dot m/a had problems playing most kinds of high-definition video, normal (standard definition) video handled well and was supported by the supplied Dolby headphone software, which simulates surround sound through just about any headset.

The computer comes with a good bundle of software, including a full version of Microsoft Works and a full copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 6. It uses Windows Vista Home Basic, but current models on the shelves come with a voucher for an upgrade to Windows 7 (note there may be a charge for this).

The netbook includes support for the small webcam set just above the bright 11.6in screen, though other applications supplied, such as the Nero burning software and PowerDVD 9, would have been more useful if the computer came with a CD or DVD drive.

The flat keyboard has keys that are larger than those normally found on netbooks, and was light and comfortable to use, though the small cursor cluster is marred by dark-red secondary lettering on the keys that was hard to read. The case itself has no clasp, so opening the lid was fiddly.

It’s available in black or bright red, and while the high-gloss lid shows fingerprints very clearly it comes with a soft, padded sleeve, which helps protect it even if you have a carrying case.

The Dot m/a is available with a hard disk capacity of 160GB, 250GB or 320GB, and has three USB sockets, a VGA connection for a monitor, wired and wireless network connections and microphone and headphone sockets. A memory card slot is also included for SD, MemoryStick and XD cards.

The main fault is its battery which is unlikely to last the length of a movie when playing a DVD and even under less arduous use gives barely three hours. There is an optional larger battery, but this costs an extra £120.

Olympus Mju-7010

Laurence Gunn — 2009-11-02T16:39:00.000Z

Laurence Gunn, Computeractive, Monday 2 November 2009 at 16:39:00

A quick and compact camera, ideal for capturing fast-moving moments

The Olympus Mju-7010 is a 12-megapixel compact camera. It is available in pink, grey and silver, has four easily accessible shooting modes and can be used to shoot video as well as still images.

With a 7x optical zoom lens, the Mju-7010 is designed with point-and-shoot in mind. The start-up time was about two seconds, ideal for capturing those fast-moving moments on holiday or a night out.

The 2.7in screen on the rear is clear, providing a good setting for the picture-heavy menus typical of Olympus cameras. The screen must be used for composing photos, as there is no optical viewfinder.

Overall, the Mju-7010 was easy to use. It has four modes accessible from the slightly stiff rear-mounted scroll wheel: Video, Scene (a selection of 15 optimised presets), Beauty (which smoothes skin imperfections) and iAuto which chooses one of five settings automatically to suit the given environment.

All of these options performed well and the beauty mode in particular did a decent job of reducing small spots, under-eye bags and crow’s feet.

The scene presets were well thought-out, offering a wide range of presets from sports to portraits to pet photography that we were able to access quickly.

There are also some on-board effects that can be used to stylise photos, including a pin-hole camera effect that darkens the edges of your images and a loud pop-art cartoon-style effect.

Our favourite option was the impressive and easy-to-use panorama setting, which directs the user to take three shots that the camera then stitches into one.

Conversely, the video was disappointing: the resolution of 640x480 pixels is not good given what the similarly priced competition can offer. Also, in low light our pictures produced too much noise.

The Mju-7010’s image stabilisation was effective at combating camera shake while the face detection was effective for recognising up to 16 people in a shot.

The lack of options for manual fine-tuning will put off more experienced snappers but the Mju-7010 is a better camera for beginners – it’s a shame about the high retail price.

Review: Apple MacBook (late 2009 edition)

Julian Prokaza — 2009-10-30T10:56:00.000Z

Julian Prokaza, V3.co.uk, Friday 30 October 2009 at 10:56:00

The plastic MacBook gets a unibody case and the same glass trackpad as the MacBook Pro

Apple hasn't messed too much with the white plastic MacBook for this late 2009 refresh, but it has spruced up its entry-level laptop to bring it into line with its MacBook Pro models.

The most obvious change is the move to a unibody enclosure, but this is cast from a single slab of slick polycarbonate rather than the aluminium ingot of the MacBook Pro. Nonetheless, the single-piece construction improves overall rigidity and even reduces weight by a small amount, but its construction isn't completely seamless. The base is a separate strip of non-slip plastic that's better suited to being scraped across desktops than the rest of the shiny case.

The MacBook's 'Scrabble tile' keyboard hasn't changed, but this is no bad thing as it's one of the most comfortable to be found on any laptop. Apple has swapped the standard trackpad for the same jumbo multi-touch model as the MacBook Pro, though. This has no button and instead can be clicked across its entire glass surface, with a two-finger click taking the place of the right button.

A 13.3in LED-backlit screen is now standard issue for the MacBook, but it has the same 1,280 x 800 resolution and plastic bezel as before. Apple hasn't opted for the same 'frameless' glass display as the MacBook Pro, in other words. Even so, the image is crisp and vibrant, and viewing angles are wide, but the glossy finish does lead to reflections in brightly lit areas. Apple offers only a matte screen option on the 15in and 17in MacBook Pros.

Entry-level it may be, but the 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics mean that the MacBook has essentially the same specification as the 13in MacBook Pro that costs £100 more. That makes the MacBook a good deal if you won't miss the aluminium enclosure, but there's a couple of other differences to distinguish these two models.

An SD Card slot is an odd omission for a Mac that's likely to be used to store photos from a digital camera, but since the MacBook has never had one, not everyone will miss it. The same can't be said of FireWire, though. It was on the last model, but Apple has since decided that there's no place for the port it invented on a non-Pro portable.

Apple cites longer life as the main reason for switching to non-user-replaceable batteries on the MacBook Pro range, but a mere 5Wh capacity increase hardly seems worth the trade-off for fitting a similar fixed power source to the MacBook. Nonetheless, improved energy efficiency across the board (screen and processor) do lead Apple to claim a MacBook battery life of up to seven hours, two hours more than the old model.

Apple is vague on the 'wireless productivity' tests it uses to measure battery life, and we got just over three and a half hours when playing a looped QuickTime HD video with Wi-Fi off and the screen at full brightness. This heavy-use test probably equates to around five hours of typical Wi-Fi-enabled productivity use, some way short of Apple's figure, but still above average for a laptop like this.

Mesh Cute Inspire

Anthony Dhanendran — 2009-10-30T09:30:00.000Z

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Friday 30 October 2009 at 09:30:00

A smaller computer from a big name

Previous computers we have looked at from Mesh have tended to be full-sized desktop models, but the new Cute series uses a smaller case that’s suitable for those who don’t have much desk space to spare or who want to fit their computers into the living room.

The Cute’s case is short and squat, with a square front panel that houses just the power button, DVD drive (which reads and writes all discs except Blu-ray), sound sockets and two of the computer’s eight USB ports. Our review model came with 2GB of memory but Mesh has since upped this to four, and although our review unit came with Windows Vista, new models will come with Windows 7 Home Premium installed.

The processor is an AMD Athlon II X2 215 dual-core processor, which is a decent but not particularly fast model, and it uses onboard graphics rather than a dedicated graphics card which made games playing a no-no. For less demanding pursuits such as playing video and editing photos, as well as the standard internet and office tasks (the Cute comes with the Works software suite) it coped fine.

One thing to watch out for is that although the price on the Mesh site is listed as £299, this went up to over £450 when we added it to our basket. Once we removed the ‘extras’ that Mesh had thoughtfully added, such as a multiple mains socket extension cable, it came back down to the desired £299.

As is standard with this kind of smaller computer, it doesn’t come with a monitor. It’s possible to add one when you buy it (Mesh charges £155 for a 22in Iiyama model) but the computer is designed to be hooked up to a television screen. To that end, in addition to the VGA and DVI monitor connections, there’s an HDMI socket on the back panel, along with surround sound outputs (including optical), six USB ports, wired network connection, eSata and keyboard and mouse sockets.

It also comes with a TV tuner card, although the model in our review unit was an analogue one, which won’t be much use if you live in a region that has a lready switched to digital-only television. The upgrade on the website to a digital (Freeview) tuner is an extra £40.

A one-year warranty is included in the price, as is a copy of the Cyberlink collection of programs for viewing and editing video, as well as Windows 7 and the aforementioned Microsoft Works 8.5. A Logitech keyboard and mouse will set you back and extra £10 for wired ones or £20 for wireless.

The Mesh Cute Inspire is a competitor to the likes of Novatech’s cheaper Ion Fusion (see below). While that computer is smaller, it’s not as powerful as the Cute and is lacking in a couple of other ways. If you’re looking for a small computer that will function as a media player and more, or you’re simply lacking in desk space and don’t need to edit video or play games, take a look at the Mesh Cute Inspire.

Trust Slimline Widescreen Tablet

Tim Smith — 2009-10-29T14:49:00.000Z

Tim Smith, Computeractive, Thursday 29 October 2009 at 14:49:00

Release your artistic and creative abilities

MORE: See the Trust tablet in action in our video review by clicking here

If you’re serious about creating artwork on a computer, a graphics tablet can be worthwhile.

At 25x25cm the Trust Slimline Widescreen Tablet is a very large example. In fact it’s one of the largest we’ve looked at, but its size comes at the expense of quality.

The supplied pen was fairly comfortable to hold but a little heavy because of its AAA battery – the pens supplied with Wacom tablets are much lighter, for instance. That said, a AAA battery is much better than the impossible-to-find AAAA batteries found in some graphics tablet pens. There are buttons on the side of the pen for right- or double-clicking but unlike on some pens there is no eraser tip on the other end.

The tablet itself connects to the computer’s USB socket with a light that shows when the pen is in range and dims when the pen is clicked. A clear tracing sheet is supplied – this is helpful for transferring rough drawings to the computer.

There are 29 programmable areas around the edge which can be assigned to keyboard shortcuts or programs. A hint is displayed when the pen hovers over a shortcut area, which is handy as there’s no need to learn them all.

Sadly the tablet wasn’t quite as good as we had hoped. The tracking of the pen seemed slow and it wasn’t precise enough.

The Slimline Widescreen Tablet is expensive given its problems with lag and the pen. It’s significantly cheaper than the nearest Wacom equivalent in size but if tablet size is not an issue, we would recommend spending the money on a Wacom. It’ll be smaller but more accurate.

MORE: See the Trust tablet in action in our video review by clicking here

Review: Apple iMac (late 2009 edition)

Julian Prokaza — 2009-10-27T12:47:00.000Z

Julian Prokaza, V3.co.uk, Tuesday 27 October 2009 at 12:47:00

Apple gives the iMac a makeover and finally adds quad-core processors

Apple's latest update to its all-in-one iMacs refines rather than reinvents the classic desktop design, but the changes are still considerable. The 27in iMac sits at the top of the range and, while its new 16:9 widescreen display might make it a bit too ostentatious for some desktops, designers (and anyone else looking for a vast expanse of screen space) will welcome its 2,560 x 1,440 resolution.

The squatter aspect ratio means that the 27in iMac is no taller than the outgoing 24in model, and the overall shape is much the same, although the whole enclosure is now made from a single slab of aluminium for a similar 'unibody' feel as the MacBook Pro.

Another MacBook Pro design touch is the glass screen that extends right to the edge of the case for a frameless front-end. The 'chin' that sits below has also shrunk, and the new iMacs look more like mere monitors than complete computers than ever before.

All iMac screens are now LED backlit, and this technology is both whiter and brighter than the old CCFL displays. It can be set to a much lower brightness level than the old iMac screens too, making these new models much more comfortable to use in dimly lit environments.

The new screens are also thinner and run cooler than those of the old iMacs and, rather than reduce the depth of the case, Apple has used the extra space to fit a big enough cooling system to cope with Intel desktop processors. The switch from mobile chips has little impact on performance (of which more in a moment), but bigger, slower-spinning fans mean less noise when the iMac is under load.

One other minor benefit is that the new iMacs also have room for four memory module slots, which not only means that there's now a 16GB RAM limit, but that inexpensive 2GB SODIMMs can be used for an 8GB configuration. The old two-slot iMacs can only use costly 4GB modules.

Core 2 Duo processors running at 3.06GHz are now standard for all iMacs. This was an additional built-to-order expense on the old models. Despite being a desktop (Intel E7600) chip, this offers no real edge over an old iMac with a same-speed mobile processor, but a stock 4GB of RAM and beefier graphics does provide more bang for much the same buck as before.

Apple is also offering the 27in iMac with Intel's Core i5 or Core i7 processor. Available in November, prices start at £1,599 for the 2.66GHz model, which should offer similar workstation-level performance to the £1,899 Mac Pro and a similar display to the £1,173 30in Cinema Display. That's quite a saving.

One final note: all iMacs now ship with Apple's new Magic Mouse as standard and you can see what we think of that in our separate review coming soon.

Review: Samsung ML-1915 laser printer

Will Stapley — 2009-10-26T10:31:00.000Z

Will Stapley, V3.co.uk, Monday 26 October 2009 at 10:31:00

Budget mono laser printer with low running costs

Laser printers with low price tags are usually blighted by high running costs and low print speeds. Samsung is hoping to change all this with its new sub-£100 ML-1915 mono laser.

In keeping with Samsung's recent laser printers, the ML-1915 has an all-black chassis and smooth rounded edges. At 360mm wide and 389mm deep, it's compact enough to fit on an average-sized desk. It's also relatively light at just over 7kg.

Installation was quick and painless, and the ML-1915 comes with drivers for Windows, Mac and various Linux distributions.

The output tray sits at the top and can cope with 80 pages, while the input tray slots neatly into the chassis at the front and can hold 250 pages. There's also a single-sheet input at the front, just above the input tray.

Controls on the printer are kept to a minimum, with no LCD monitor and just three buttons: Power, Cancel and Printscreen. As its name suggests, the Printscreen button lets you print screen grabs; a quick press results in the entire screen being printed, but hold it for two seconds and it will print only the active window.

With its low price of just £99, it's no surprise that the ML-1915 forgoes extras that many corporate users will be looking for. There's no network connectivity (wired or wireless), and you don't get the luxury of a duplex unit. A manual duplex feature is included, but this involves the user physically turning the page over and then reinserting it to continue the printing, which is very time consuming.

The ML-1915 uses a single black toner cartridge, which slides neatly into the front of the chassis. However, the flap that you have to open to access it feels very flimsy. As is common with budget laser printers, a starter cartridge is shipped as standard and will last just 700 pages, so be prepared to purchase more toner sooner rather than later.

Replacement toner is available in standard and high-yield sizes. The standard cartridge is rated at 1,500 pages and will set you back £45, which results in a cost per page of 3p. Opt for the high-yield cartridge, however, and with a capacity of 2,500 pages and price of £56, printing costs fall to just 2.2p per page. There are no other consumables that need replacing during the life of the printer and, for a mono laser with such a low initial outlay, these running costs aren't at all bad.

Print quality is very impressive, with text remaining crisp right down to 2pt. When printing images, though, it struggles with fine detail, and dark grey areas end up looking jet black.

As for speeds, Samsung quotes the printer at 18ppm, and that's exactly what it achieved in our tests. However, this doesn't take into account the time it takes for the first page to appear, which on average is just under 10 seconds with the printer in standby mode. From a cold start, it takes 22 seconds for the first page to arrive.

Given that it's a USB-only printer, the ML-1915 is best suited to single-PC use. That said, with a monthly duty cycle of 10,000 pages, it will be up to the task of being shared between a small workgroup.

Meanwhile, the low initial outlay will appeal to those on a tight budget, as will the relatively cheap running costs. Throw in decent print speeds, and the ML-1915 is a great budget laser printer. It's just a shame there's no network upgrade option.

First Look: BlackBerry Storm2

Rob Kerr — 2009-10-23T12:13:00.000Z

Rob Kerr, V3.co.uk, Friday 23 October 2009 at 12:13:00

Hands on with RIM's second touch-screen handset

Research In Motion (RIM) unveiled its second full touch-screen handset earlier this month, the BlackBerry Storm2 9520. The device is the successor to the original BlackBerry Storm, with new touch-screen technology, an updated operating system and, most importantly, Wi-Fi, which was sadly missing from the first handset.

We recently spent some time with the Storm2 to compile this first impression of the handset without thoroughly benchmarking and testing the device.

To the untrained eye, the new and old models look the same with their large screens, same form factor, and the same core email and text messaging functionality. It's only when we look a little deeper that we find the handset has changed somewhat for the better in most areas.

The Storm2 touch-screen is the first of the significant changes from the original Storm. Underlying the surface of the 3.25in display is an electro-mechanical mechanism for interpreting the touch-screen requests, whereas the previous handset had a purely mechanical mechanism. The original Storm had one large plate suspended just under its raised screen for reading touch-screen inputs. When pressed, the screen moved inwards a slight distance.

Selecting an application or any item on both the original Storm and the Storm2 is still performed by just touching the display, while launching that item is done by pressing down on the moveable screen, which retracts slightly and then returns back to its starting position.

RIM has done away with the large plate under the screen and has replaced it with four smaller sensors. These are located under each corner of the display for a more accurate reading and interpretation of the user's touch request as compared to the earlier single large plate.

Both of these technologies provide tactile feedback and fall under RIM's SurePress technology. In the prior version of SurePress, the mechanical mechanism had its flaws and critics. On the first Storm the interpretation of touch requests was not entirely accurate all of the time. On using the two versions side by side, we found that the new electro-mechanical mechanism is much more precise compared to the first mobile.

This new SurePress technology also makes for faster typing. You are now able to press down on the screen in rapid succession, while in the past you really couldn't mimic typing on a real keyboard. These four sensors also offer the capability of multi-press on the virtual keyboard, with the combination of holding down the shift or alt key plus another, which also wasn't possible with last year's Storm. We've seen multi-touch used on the Storm2 to zoom in and out of images. It's not the iPhone's 'pinch to zoom in and out', but it's still a move in the right direction for RIM.

On the previous handset, the screen also moved in and out whether the phone was powered on or not. As the new SurePress technology isn't just mechanical but is electro-mechanical, the screen doesn't move with the handset powered down or even in standby. This could very well help prevent wear and tear in the long run, or even help avoid general faults with the movable part of the screen in everyday use.

Other notable changes in the Storm2 are the omission of the physical send, menu, return and end call buttons. These have been replaced by touch-screen versions in the same place on the phone, only they're seamlessly integrated into the display. There are also some subtle aesthetic changes to the Storm2 case, with improvements that make the rear shape more curved and easier to hold. The speaker is moved from the rear of the phone and is now placed on the bottom.

Internal memory has been upped from 1GB to 2GB, and RIM has adopted the microSD 2.0 spec with the Storm2, using 32GB microSD card storage devices.

The volume, voice command and camera buttons have been changed from metal to rubberised black versions, and are still embedded in the side of the case. This change blends well with the new design and colour scheme, along with being more comfortable to use.

RIM has also moved the 3.5mm audio jack from the side of the phone. It's been moved further to the rear, where it's now a seamless addition with its bulky rim removed. We feel it would have been preferable for RIM to put this on the top of the handset, which would have been better position for plugging in earphones.

There has also been some curious movement of the power buttons on the Storm2. The red end call button was previously used to power on the mobile, whereas in the Storm2 its non-call related feature is just to lock the handset. Pressing down on the top of the first Storm locked the mobile, but that operation is now used to power on the Storm2.

RIM has bundled in a brand new operating system, version 5, which will be made available to the original Storm after the newer model hits the shelves by the end of October in the UK.

Noteworthy mentions in the new operating system are multi-threaded text and instant messages for keeping easy track of SMS and BlackBerry IM conversations. There's better auto completion and spell checking during text entry which, coupled with the now faster method of typing, offers a better all-around experience.

The menu animations or transitions now maximise and minimise in a way similar to the iPhone, rather than just appearing full screen when launched. There's also kinetic scrolling on the new phone, much the same way as menu scrolling is performed when sliding a thumb down the iPhone screen.

Searching on the Storm2 has also been greatly improved; holding a finger over a person's name in the inbox automatically pulls up all their emails, a method that also works with the subject line.

Lastly is the cut-and-paste feature. In the past, text selection for cutting and pasting on the Storm was rather awkward to use. RIM has vastly improved the overall method in version 5, so that selecting text is performed by marking where to start and then where to end, with everything in between being copied.

RIM said that web surfing speeds have been increased by up to 20 per cent with a new web browser. Sadly, Flash is still missing from the bundled browser, although RIM recently purchased Torch Mobile, which is known for its Iris web browser for mobiles. This webkit-based browser features Flash integration, so we could be seeing Flash in the new release of the operating system or as an update to the platform in the near future.

One of the biggest changes from the first Storm handset is the addition of Wi-Fi. It's been a feature of other RIM handsets for a while, although it's not strictly needed in those workhorse corporate mobiles. RIM and Vodafone are aiming the Storm2 at more of a consumer market where surfing the internet and getting apps and media onto the handset can be greatly improved by Wi-Fi's better download speeds. It's here we believe that Wi-Fi will show its true worth in the Storm2.

Medion Akoya S5612

Anthony Dhanendran — 2009-10-23T11:44:00.000Z

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Friday 23 October 2009 at 11:44:00

A laptop on a diet offered at Aldi stores

Medion’s Akoya S5612 notebook is available from 29 October from Aldi shops.

Its 15.6in widescreen has an anti-glare coating but was disappointingly murky at first glance. On further inspection the default screen brightness was very low – when increased it was better, if still slightly washed out.

The computer uses a low-voltage Intel SU2300 processor. This dual-core model offers some of the benefits of more expensive processors, but lacks the power of those models. It’s backed up with a large 4GB of memory, though, and a large 320GB hard disk.

Performance was fine – don’t expect it to cope with video editing or games, but for viewing video and listening to music, or office and internet use, it was fine.

The primary advantage of the low-voltage processor is that it gives off less heat, meaning that less cooling equipment is required and consequently the computer is thinner than most. It’s no Macbook Air but it is nicely slim and with the rounded edges of the glossy black case, it looks good all round.

The keyboard is large enough for decently sized keys, although it was a bit shallow for our liking – those whose fingers come down hard when typing may find it a problem. The trackpad supports multi-touch, which means that in addition to using a finger to move the mouse pointer you can use several fingers to make ‘gestures’ such as doing a pinching motion to zoom in to an image on screen.

It’s loaded with Windows 7 and has three USB ports, a memory card reader, eSata port for connecting external storage, can connect to both wired and wireless networks and has both VGA and HDMI sockets. The other upshot of the computer’s thinness is that there’s no CD or DVD drive, so software has to be installed using a USB memory key or by attaching an external drive (Medion supplies one as a paid-for add-on).

The Akoya S5612 is a decent computer, but we would rather sacrifice the slimness for a little more power. Still, at £500 it’s a decent deal.

Previous Medion deals we’ve seen at Aldi have tended to sell out quickly so if you’re interested in one it’s worth making plans to get to the shop early.