GizmoSpy » Computing

HP Deskjet F4580 All-inOne printer

GizmoPaul — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:17:31 +0000

HP have come up with an offering that is ideal for both the home and the small office users. You can print from virtually anywhere in the home or the office thanks to the wireless technology built in to this superb offering. The printer also offers scanning and colour copying too. It’s easy to setup, reliable and can even print without a PC.

There is some easy to install software and an intuitive control panel which makes controlling the printer easy as 1-2-3. The simple controls also allow you to stop and cancel printing at the touch of a button saving resources if you send print jobs by mistake. There are also handy LCD ink level indicators meaning you know when you might be coming up for an ink change.

This offering from HP has improved printing speeds of up to 28ppm black and white and 22ppm in colour. The print quality is sharp and crisp with sharp black text and bright colours with original cartridges. There is an improved access to the cartridges which make changing them even easier.

This HP printer uses dual drop weight technology to get the best quality prints. This technology combines small and large ink droplets to utilize greater ink coverage on the page and increase image quality. There is also the option of borderless printing to print larger 10cm x 15cm prints.

HP uses dual drop weight technology to ensure you get the best quality prints every time. Small and large ink droplets are combined to create greater ink coverage on the page, increasing image quality and reducing the visibility of ink droplets. Also, get fabulous photos with borderless photo printing on up to 10cm x 15cm prints.

HP’s Smart Web Print technology makes printing from the web even easier. You can print what you want by selecting the frames you want to print. There is also HP’s Photo Gadget which enable you to print from multiple sites on the same page by dragging and dropping. You can even re-size areas to print.

Photo printing is easy as well giving great options for printing photos and managing the quality and size. The HP is quite clever too to avoid cropping photos in vital areas. The HP Photo Print Gadget lets you drag and drop photos to the printer to print.

The Good
This printer is easy to use and very suitable for the home and those wishing to have an all round printer, copier and scanner and to reproduce those family snaps in high quality.

The Bad
Some have reported the wireless to be quite tricky to setup, however we didn’t have any problems.

Conclusion
A good all round printer for its value. Good quality printing and easy to use once setup.

Rovio Wi-Fi Mobile Webcam

GizmoGaz — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:04:12 +0000

Ever wanted to be in 2 places at once, now you can with the revolutionary new hi-tech gadget come toy. The Rovio Wi-Fi Mobile Webcam lets you view and control this remotely 24×7 from anywhere in the world that has an internet connection, so basically you can control this from your computer, pda, phone or smartphone or even your games console. There is even an iPhone app.

See and hear exactly what the Rovio is seeing and hearing from the head mounted moveable camera. The Rovio can even charge is self at a click of a button even if you are not at home. Rovio will alert you with the battery life is low. The Rovio will head back to the charging dock using the built-in TrueTrack Beacon. There is also a LED headlight for guiding this through darker rooms.

You can even use the built in microphone to interact with family/friends at home remotely. Other great features are you can take photos or even scheduled photos so pretty much use as a security device whilst you are away from home. You can set up predefined routes for the Rovio to follow or even predefined positions so that you can just click on that specific predefined room at it will go to that location.

The only downside our Spy’s could see is the Rovio does not climb stairs.

No related posts.

Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera

GizmoGaz — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:22:39 +0000

Following on from my earlier review of the PoGo Instant Digital Photo Printer, Us Spys wouldn’t be doing such a good job if we didn’t review the Instant Camera to. Sure the Instant Digital Printer is a great gadget and very portable however the Instant Camera takes it to the next step of convenience by combining both a Digital Camera + a Printer all in one. Now the downside of all in one devices is that they are most often never brilliant at all things, more of jack of all trades and master of none.

Features a 5.0 Megapixels digital camera with 3.0″ bright color LCD and a 4x digital zoom but not optical zoom. You can also use SD cards to add extra memory for more pictures, runs off a Rechargeable lithium-ion battery so battery shouldn’t run down too quick. Can print in less than 60 seconds just like the printer and prints out on 2″x3″ ZINK full colour sticky-back prints.

Spy Verdict

For the average consumer who will be looking for this type of camera for convenience and a bit of fun sharing photos on the go, then this will go down like a treat, although for those more fussy about photo quality may be disappointed. The Spys had some fun in the office testing this out. Unfortunately they are unable to publish these as that would reveal our secret head quarters.

Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Photo Printer

GizmoGaz — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:32:31 +0000

The Pogo Instant Digital Photo Printer from Polaroid is a great portable photo printer barely bigger than your mobile phone and allows you to print and share with friends and family in an instant. Designed to work with your existing digital camera or mobile phone via either USB or wireless/blue-tooth.

Uses Zero Ink (ZINK) technology so you don’t have to worry about replace ink and expensive ink cartridges. All that is required is you purchase ZINK photo paper and then you’re ready to go.

Each print comes with a sticky back enabling you to peel off the back and stick anywhere you like. Perfect for the fridge or for capturing those precious baby moments and not having to worry about getting them developed and buying frames.

Printing takes about 60 seconds but then they came out completely dry to touch and waterproof.

Uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and will print approx 20 prints before you need to recharge.

: Awarded 4 stars out of 5 at T3 magazine

Spy Verdict

What a great gadget and a perfect gift for your loved ones. This will provide fun for the kids as they can print and share with friends without having to mess around with ink, can use on the go and it doesn’t break the bank.

Epson Stylus SX415

GizmoStu — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:15:55 +0000

The SX415 is one of the latest multi-function printers to come out of Epson HQ and it’s certainly very reasonably priced, but how does it perform under testing? We sent one of our agents into the firing line to bring you a full report.

The Good

On first look the Epson Stylus SX415 presents itself well, with a shiny black plastic finish and sleek lines and 2.5 inch LCD screen it certainly appears stylish and modern.

Setting the SX415 up was a breeze, just pop the supplied installation CD into your computer and it hand holds you the rest of the way, we were up and running very quickly. Installing the ink cartridges was also a pain free experience, this model features four seperate colour ink tanks each using Epson’s excellent DURABrite ink.

This printer is capable of 5760 x 1440dpi printing using Epson’s Resolution Performance Management and comes equipped with various printing modes. Printing performance was on the whole very good, we printed out several full pages of text and it notched up a time of 4.1ppm and the quality was very presentable for an inkjet. Moving on to photo mode and it produced our pages of text at 1.8ppm but it gave the text more definition and sharpness, overall we were impressed with the SX415’s text output.

It worked beautifully on colour images as well, completely disregarding the fastest printing mode we went straight in and tested with the medium mode and it managed to knock out a vibrant reproduction at a good 3.2ppm, the images were suffused with colkourand consistantly without any sign of banding. Even when printing onto a glossy medium in photo mode it produced a decent rate of 1.5ppm and the print quality was even better.

We also managed some great results from using the built in 1200 x 2400 dpi scanner, after playing with a few of the settings we were soon able to do a full colour photocopy in 30 seconds, with reproduction quality being of a very reasonable standard.

The memory card support is vast, covering pretty much the full range, from Memory Stick to SD to xD-Picture as well as a PictBridge port, it really does have all the bases covered in this respect.

The Bad

Some may consider the Epson Stylus SX415 to be a little nosier while printing than some other models available today, but we didn’t find it too distracting. Also the buttons on the unit feel as though they are made of a cheaper plastic although it doesn’t affect the look of the printer and they do work as intended.

Conclusion

The Epson Stylus SX415 is an excellent all rounder with a lot of features, it stands up very well against it’s peers and is a bargain price. If you are looking for a multi-function printer for your home or small office then you won’t go far wrong with this one, plus Epson ink cartridges are a darn sight cheaper than most of it’s rivals!

HP Mini 110-1130 Netbook

GizmoPaul — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:16:42 +0000

For those who wish to have computing on the go this slim and stylish offering from HP is a great choice. It is slim and compact, yet has all the power you need from a netbook. Powering this netbook is a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom Processor and it comes with Microsoft Starter Edition to give you the functionality required.

This HP Mini 110-1130 comes with a 92% keyboard meaning typing is comfortable if this is what you need. The 10.1 inch anti-glare widescreen display means the resolution is good for viewing the Internet or playing your movies on the go.

1Gb standard memory is installed which is standard for most netbooks. This will give you ample memory for running those applications which are most needed but if you want to run more powerful apps it might be worth upgrading to 2Gb. With a 160Gb SATA disk you can store a good amount of data including your latest tunes and downloads. Wireless is also included making connecting online easy on the go.

For a battery there is a 6 cell Lithium rechargeable battery which gives up to 6 hours of battery life. There is also an integrated webcam and digital microphone meaning you can stay in contact with friends online and show them where you are.

The Mini 110-1130 also comes with 3 USB 2.0 ports enabling you to connect extra disks or your MP3 player to sync to.

There is some great pre-loaded software as well to get you going. Microsoft Works (word processor, spreadsheet, calendar and database), Microsoft Internet Explorer, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Media Player, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, HP Games Console with hours of free game play and Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 60 day update. Also included is a free 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Edition.

The Good
This offering from HP is both stylish and practical. It is lightweight making it easily portable and comes with a good array of hardware and software so that you should have the tools you need to work or play on the move.

The Bad
The battery life at 6 hours can be a little inadequate. Especially if you are using the netbook for battery hungry use such as powering up external disks or MP3 players.

Conclusion
We think this is a great offering in the NetBook market. Its very easy to carry around so if mobile computing is what you need you can’t go too far wrong with the HP 110-1130.

Toshiba NB305 Netbook Review

GizmoGaz — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:50:44 +0000

Toshiba Released 2 new netbook models back in January following on from the success they had with the Toshiba NB200. The 2 models released are the mini NB300 and NB305 both offering up to 11 hours of battery life which has improved on the previous model. Features an improved streamlined ultra mobile textured design and available in 2 stylish colours, brown or white. We will review the NB305 model here and you can read the NB300 review

The Good
Toshiba have enhanced the design and performance by adding in the latest Intel Atom N450 processor which also makes it smaller and thinner and uses 20% less energy.
Features a full size keyboard with large touch pad and multi-touch control make it easy to use. A nice size 250GB Hard drive. Also features a 10.1″ TruBrite display 1,024 x 600 with LED back light for hi res so better viewing for when watching movies. Comes installed with the latest Windows 7 Started Edition with improved performance.

Toshiba have also continued to use the nice USB charge feature like the NB200 model allows you to charge USB devices when the laptop is powered off, so if you are on the move and run out of battery charge for your PDA or Mobile which uses USB, then this is very useful addition.

The Bad
Toshiba have designed their Netbooks with good specs so there isn’t really much of a downside for their latest models. The only downside like most netbooks could be the standard memory of 1GB but this should be fine for what most netbook users need them for, mobile internet browsing and using basic apps.

Spy Conclusion
If you are looking for portable lightweight netbook with a great battery life, full size keyboard, and streamlined design for basic usage such as office applications and internet browsing then you can’t go wrong with the NB305 series netbook.

Toshiba NB300 Netbook Review

GizmoGaz — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:50:08 +0000

Toshiba recently released 2 new netbook models back in January following on from the success they had with the Toshiba NB200. These 2 models, then mini NB300 series and NB305 series, and the only main differences being the design and the price, plus the addition of the blue-tooth in the NB305 netbook. Both netbooks are great for around the £300 mark we we think this is a good price for the spec you get. We would personally recommend the NB305 for the extra £30 you might pay extra, because the design is nice and the blue tooth can be very useful if you are using this on the move a lot for transferring pictures from your phone. They both are well designed and very portable with great battery life, up to 11hours. Features have improved from the NB200 model such as the ultra mobile textured design and available in cosmos black unlike the more expensive model which comes in a nice textured brown or white. Go here for the Toshiba NB305 Netbook Review

The Good
Toshiba have improved performance by adding in the latest Intel Atom N450 processor which also makes it thinner and uses approx 20% less energy. Features a full size keyboard with large touch pad and multi-touch control make it easy to use. A 250GB Hard drive as standard, 10.1″ TruBrite display 1,024 x 600 with LED back light. Comes installed with the latest Windows 7 Started Edition with improved performance.

Toshiba have also continued to use the nice USB sleep and charge feature like the NB models allowing you to charge USB devices when the laptop is in standby, so if you are on the move and run out of battery charge for your mobile phone or PDA which uses USB, then this is very useful.

The Bad
The NB300 model doesn’t come with blue-tooth as standard but then for most netbook users, this isn’t a big problem. Especially for the price you can get these for. The 1GB memory could also make things slow when trying to do more resource intensive tasks like watching HD movies. Haven’t said that not only the memory would make this perform much better as most of the Atom chips face similar issues.

Spy Conclusion
If you do not need to use for HD movies, but mostly for Internet browsing and general office/email on the move, then you can’t go far wrong for your bucks.

Toshiba NB200 netbook

GizmoPaul — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:34:25 +0000

One of Toshiba’s strong entries into the netbook world is the NB200. The NB200 is what a netbook is all about. It’s strong and lightweight at the same time, offers good battery life and some good features for those who wish to use a netbook on the go. The NB200 comes with 1Gb of RAM which is great for those wishing to use the netbook for browsing, e-mail, music and movies on the go. The Toshiba NB200 comes with a 1.67GHz Atom N280 CPU with the 945 chipset which is pretty standard for a lot of netbooks.

The 10.1 inch screen with a resolution of 1024×600 is also a good screen which is good for browsing most websites and offers a good resolution for movies. There is a 160Gb hard disk which is ample for computing on the go. If you need more there are 3 USB ports allowing you to plug in external hard disks or memory sticks. A 0.3 MP webcam is also present allowing friends to see you while you are out and about. Standard with netbooks comes a wireless option and also bluetooth is also included.

The Toshiba NB200 also comes with Windows 7 starter.

The Good
The Toshiba NB200 is a good size and weight for a netbook but doesn’t compromise on features. At under 2kg it is a nice weight to be able to carry around. Also the keyboard is a good size so typing is pleasant rather than awkward and fiddly on some netbooks.

What we really like here at GizmoSpy is that the USB ports charge USB devices even when the netbook is switched off. This is great if you want to charge your MP3 player on the go. It obviously drains the batteries of the netbook but if you have some power spare and want to charge something its a great option.

The Bad
We can’t find too much wrong with this offering from Toshiba. For a netbook it ticks all the right boxes. Maybe some more memory would be ideal but if you are using the netbook for what they are designed for, mobile computing, then 1Gb should really be enough.

Spy Rating
We like this Toshiba NB200 netbook. If portable computing is what you want then we don’t think you can go too far wrong with this excellent offering from Toshiba.

Samsung NB30

GizmoStu — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:35:37 +0000

Samsung have unveiled the NB30, a netbook that is designed to be more durable than it’s rivals, we’ve sent out agents in to find out what exactly is so special about this latest offering from Samsung HQ.

The Good

Right from the off this netbook feels like it could withstand a knock or two, it obviously isn’t bulletproof or built to have tanks run over it but it can survive a drop (of 30 inches according to Samsung) and has a water tight seal that can handle 50cc of water being spilt over it. The build quality is excellent, it looks and feels sturdy, there really isn’t a bone we could pick in that respect.

The lid of the NB30 is finished with a rubbery textured design that is shock, scratch and fingerprint resistant. The screen which it protects has a sharp and vibrant picture and is 10.1 inch and LED backlit, with the familiar netbook resolution of 1024*600.

The palm rest is also made from a rubberised material to offer the same protection as the lid, and the keyboard is spill resistant with the usual quality touchpad and mouse buttons below.

One new peice of ingeniouty is the free fall sensor on the hard drive, if it detects it has been dropped it will shut the hard drive down quickly so as to avoid the usual data loss and the potentially unrepairable damage to the hard drive platters, we where unfortunately not allowed to test this feature out but Samsung say it works, and works well so we have no reason to doubt them.

The NB30 comes in Windows XP and Windows 7 starter flavours, the latter of which puts the price up slightly. It is built on Intel’s latest Pine Trial platform with Intel GMA 3150 graphics and a Hyper-threaded 1.66GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and a choice of either 160GB or 250GB hard drive, with of course 802.11bgn wireless and a digital Livecam.

Samsung have stated the battery life is approximately 11 hours, although you can expect it to drop slightly under normal use, it still provides a decent time between charges.

There is talk of there being a touchscreen version as well, but we have yet to see it so we’ll keep on the lookout for that.

The Bad

The specs of this machine are pretty much the same as the majority of netbooks available today, so don’t expect a super charged experience.

The keys on the keyboard are a little closer together than expected, but it didn’t take long to become accustomed to using them.

Conclusion

We think that the Samsung NB30 could take off in a big way, particularly for parents buying a netbook for their child or even those who like having a bit more peace of mind that their machine and data have better protection in the event that the worst happens.

Even though the specs are the same as a high percentage of the netbook market the extra durability this one provides at a similar price to the rest makes it a definate worthwhile purchase.