Latest from ITReviews

IT Reviews and ITProPortal Merge

IT Reviews Staff — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:34:03 +0100

IT Reviews and ITProPortal Merge Over the past few months we’ve been consolidating our...

Lenovo IdeaPad U300s Ultrabook review

Riyad Emeran — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:55:00 +0100

Lenovo turns its considerable talents to the Ultrabook market.

I still don't fully understand why Intel needed to create the Ultrabook platform. Surely the concept of an affordable thin-and-light notebook with great battery life would have seemed like a good idea to manufacturers without Intel creating the blueprint? After all, Apple has been cleaning up with...

D-Link DIR-657 Wireless N HD Media Router review

Kelvyn Taylor — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:33:00 +0100

A single-band wireless router with some interesting features

Users are spoiled for choice when it comes to...

Kid Icarus: Uprising review

Tobias Henry — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:59:00 +0100

Kid Icarus comes back from the dead in this 3D extravaganza!

As that great actor, James Caan, said a long time ago, "You know the old saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder? Absence makes them think you're dead." That's been the problem for Nintendo's Kid Icarus for the last nineteen years. Once upon a time he was part of the gang, partying with Mario...

Devolo dLAN 500 AVplus Starter Kit review

Kelvyn Taylor — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:25:00 +0100

High-speed Homeplug adapters with a ‘piggyback’ design that means you don’t lose a wall socket

The popularity of Homeplug networking over power-lines continues to grow, with more and more manufacturers moving to the 500AV standard, which offers link speeds of up to 500Mbps. Devolo’s latest product, the dLAN 500 AVplus, has a ‘piggyback’ design, with a filtered pass-through...

MoviePlus X6 review

Rob Beattie — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:21:00 +0100

The latest version of Serif's home video editing program adds new features designed to appeal to users who want to create movies with the minimum of effort and a number of extras designed to enhance its appeal to more serious enthusiasts. In this way, the program continues to serve the needs of...

Archos 101 G9 Turbo ICS review

Hugo Jobling — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:53:00 +0100

The Archos 101 G9 gets a speed bump and a helping of Ice Cream Sandwich.

Archos has had its 101 G9 tablet on sale for a while now, running Android 3.2 "Honeycomb" and it proved a capable, if not exceptional, device. With the launch of Android 4.0, a.k.a. "Ice Cream Sandwich," Archos has taken the opportunity to upgrade its 10.1in tablet with not only the much improved...

Sony Xperia S Full Review review

Sandra Vogel — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:23:00 +0000

Sony goes after the high-end smartphone market with the new Xperia S.

Sony is now producing smartphones under its own label, having split with Ericsson last year. Its new line, the NXT series, has retained the Xperia name from the Sony Ericsson days, at least for now, and a number of new Xperia handsets have been announced. The first to appear in retail is the Sony...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90 review

Cliff Smith — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Can the Lumix DMC-FX90's image quality match it's long list of features?

Since introducing its first digital camera as long ago as 1997, Panasonic has built its Lumix brand into a market leader with a solid reputation for quality and technical innovation. I've reviewed well over a hundred different Panasonic cameras over the years, and I've become accustomed to finding...

Kogeto Dot review

Darren Allan — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:00:00 +0000

A clip-on fish-eye lens for the iPhone 4 that facilitates panoramic 360 degree video

Kogeto’s Dot gadget is built to offer iPhone 4 and 4S owners a different kind of video recording experience. It has a fish-eye lens (with an anti-reflective coating) that is built into a plastic holder, which snaps around the body of your iPhone. This fish-eye lens is then positioned, to fit...

Samsung Galaxy Extreme Xcover S5690 review

Sandra Vogel — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:25:00 +0000

Samsung has plenty of phones in its portfolio, but the Samsung Galaxy Extreme Xcover S5690 is a bit different from the rest. Not only because of it’s got a super long name, but because it is rugged. Its nearest competitor is the Motorola Defy range, the Defy, newer Defy Plus, and the...

Samsung Series 7 Chronos

Sandra Vogel — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:32:00 +0000

Samsung’s Series 7 Chronos is takes a leaf or two out of Apple’s book and in doing so comes up with a laptop that is very appealing both in looks, usability and what’s under the hood. If you are a MacBook Pro fan looking for a Windows based equivalent, then you might want to look...

Toshiba Qosmio X770-136 review

Darren Allan — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:49:00 +0000

17.3 inch desktop replacement gaming laptop with active 3D glasses

The Qosmio X770 is expensive, let’s make that clear up front. It tips the scales at the best part of two grand, and for that sort of money, you’d expect something special. Exactly how special is this high-end Toshiba offering? And what sort of value for money does it represent, at...

Quiet PC Serenity Z68 Gamer Xtreme review

Darren Allan — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:06:00 +0000

A very quiet gaming PC featuring an overclocked Core i5 2500K processor

As we noted when we last looked at a Quiet PC system, gaming PCs are the most notorious machines – when it comes to making a racket. What with super-sized graphics cards bristling with multiple fans, they can make a noise not too dissimilar to an incoming hovercraft, on a windy day at Dover...

Sony Vaio VPC-L22Z1E review

Darren Allan — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:21:00 +0000

All-in-one PC with a 24 inch touchscreen display and active 3D glasses

Sony’s all-in-one PC might not have a very sleek name – as the VPC-L22Z1E doesn’t so much roll off the tongue, as stumble and fall flat on its face – but it does feature some smart and sleek lines. It’s one of the thinner all-in-ones we’ve seen, measuring just...

Samsung Omnia W review

Sandra Vogel — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Windows Phone is now firmly established as a smartphone operating system, while being well into its first major update. Hardware partners are bringing out more handsets, and Nokia has even said it will concentrate on the OS going forward. Samsung’s second Windows Phone, the Omnia W is small...

Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games review

Simon Brew — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:35:00 +0000

Can Mario and Sonic bring their sporting lunacy successful to London?

There was a sense of hell freezing over when Nintendo and Sega’s respective mascots, Mario and Sonic, first appeared alongside one another in a videogame. But few things build bridges faster than a pile of cash, and the commercial success of Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games, back in...

Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 review

Simon Williams — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Adobe updates its consumer image editing suite.

Only part of Adobe’s brief for Photoshop Elements is producing fancy photos. The other part is organising and distributing them through a variety of media conduits. Elements 10 shows Adobe’s concentration on the second part of this brief, though there are some interesting changes to its...

LG Prada 3.0 review

Sandra Vogel — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:05:00 +0000

Slim, stylish and minimalistic - LG and Prada seem to be ticking all the right boxes.

LG and Prada have teamed up before to produce Prada branded handsets. There have been three outings including this current one, and they are few and far between. The first collaboration was in 2007, then again in 2009, and now the third joint handset has just swayed down the catwalk. The idea is...

Hauppauge myTV 2GO review

IT Reviews Staff — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0000

The myTV 2GO is a neat USB-powered Freeview receiver about the size of two Zippo lighters stuck together, with a small, extendable aerial that's designed to fire a live digital TV signal over a wireless network to any iPhone or iPad running the free myTV 2GO app. It includes a camera-sized...

Panasonic KX-MB1520 review

Martyn Clayden — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:06:00 +0000

Panasonic showcase a speedy, compact mono MFP that is let down by bad controls

When you think of multifunction printers for use at home or in small businesses, you generally think about the heavyweights in the industry such as Canon, Brother, Kodak, Epson and HP. However, Panasonic has recently started making inroads, at the lower end of the cost scale and the Panasonic...

Synology Diskstation DS212j review

Kelvyn Taylor — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:56:00 +0000

A mid-priced two-bay NAS enclosure with a great interface and plenty of advanced options

Network storage has come a long way in recent years, with advanced features now on offer – from even modest devices. Synology’s Diskstation DS212j is another good example, offering some industrial-strength capabilities, in an affordable two-bay enclosure. With its white...

Kodak Hero 9.1 All in One Printer review

Martyn Clayden — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Kodak's top of the range Hero is truly multifunctional but has quality issues

We've looked at a few of Kodak's...

Veho Pebble Pro review

Darren Allan — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:12:00 +0000

The top of Veho’s charging device tree can even juice up laptops

The Pebble Mini and Smartstick are the mainstays of Veho’s range of portable battery packs that can charge your devices on the go, but they’re far outstripped by their bigger brother. The Pebble Pro boasts 13,200mAh of charging power, but also a corresponding increase in price tag,...

Shure SRH1440 Open Back Headphones review

Riyad Emeran — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:20:00 +0000

Shure raises the bar on sound quality again...

Shure has something of a legendary reputation when it comes to professional audio. Whether it's in-ear monitors, microphones, mixers, or DSPs, there's usually a Shure presence of one kind or another in any recording studio. But thankfully Shure's audio excellence isn't limited to the professional...

Mass Effect 3 review

Tobias Henry — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:50:00 +0000

Bioware's space epic reaches its thrilling conclusion.

Perhaps the best thing about Mass Effect 3 is that Bioware has gone into it with all guns blazing. Like Gears of War 3 it's been designed as a grand finale to a story that has kept gamers gripped for the best part of five years, and like Gears of War 3 it doesn't take any...

Veho Pebble Smartstick review

IT Reviews Staff — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:03:00 +0000

A 2200mAh dose of portable battery power in tube form

This is the smallest in Veho’s range of portable power packs designed to juice up your gadgets such as smartphones, digital cameras, camcorders and so forth on the move. It’s 10g lighter than the Pebble Mini, and more compact, shaped like a tube. While smaller in terms of overall...

Philips HMP2000 Netflix Box review

Jamie Carter — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:20:00 +0000

A quick fix for Netflix, but this Wi-Fi box isn’t as smart as it could be

Boxee, WD Live and other tiny streamers are trying their hardest to offer a no-strings alternative to the market leader, but the gloss black and diminutive 90 x 50 x 100mm HMP2000 arrives looking every bit like an Apple TV wannabe. What it lacks in smartphone or tablet integration the...

CoPilot Live Premium Europe review

Jamie Carter — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Turn-by-turn app for iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile

CoPilot Live Premium Europe app for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad offers spoken turn-by-turn navigation, 3D map displays and pan-European maps that can be used offline. It is also compatible with iOS 3.0 onwards, while being available on the Android and Windows Mobile platforms. As such, it’s a...

Veho Pebble Mini review

Darren Allan — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:35:00 +0000

Portable battery pack that can charge up your gadgets on the move

Battery life can be the bane of many a device. Those long arduous train journeys can get a hell of a lot longer, and more tedious, if your iPod's low battery warning manifests itself - and you realise that you forgot to charge it up, the previous night. All you're left with, to keep yourself...

Sony Xperia S

IT Reviews Staff — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:43:00 +0000

The first Sony branded smartphone carries an exclusive yet elegant look, but with some deceptive features. One of the first things to notice about the austere design of this fresh, salubrious Xperia model is its neat translucent strip - believed by many, to be a form of indicator We...

Mad Catz: Cyborg M.M.O. 7 Gaming Mouse review

Martyn Clayden — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:32:00 +0000

Is this the gaming mouse MMO fans have been waiting for?

If you're seriously into massively multiplayer online gaming and want to get that edge on the opposition in WoW, Middle Earth or Alderaan, then you'd be wise to check out Cyborg's latest uber-programmable gaming mouse - the M.M.O....

Veho SAEM Bluetooth Car Kit review

IT Reviews Staff — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Hands-free, in-car bluetooth kit complete with motion sensor

Veho is fond of its bluetooth gadgets, and here’s another one, this time an in-car hands-free kit that allows you to talk on your mobile while driving, without breaking the law. The unit is about 10mm thick and not that much bigger than a credit card, coming with a neat metal clip which...

Veho VEP-004 Bluetooth Wireless Headset review

Darren Allan — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:27:00 +0000

Foldable Bluetooth wireless headset with embedded mic

Veho’s Bluetooth headset is...

Seagate GoFlex Cinema 3TB review

Darren Allan — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:09:00 +0000

Multimedia storage hub with a 1TB to 3TB hard disk

The GoFlex Cinema...

Logitech S220 2.1 Speaker Set review

Darren Allan — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:08:00 +0000

Budget speaker and subwoofer set for your computer

The S220 is a set of 2.1 speakers, meaning that it comprises of two satellites, plus a subwoofer to deliver in the bass department. And you won’t find many 2.1 offerings cheaper than this, given that you can grab these online for less than £20. The...

Freemake Music Box review

IT Reviews Staff — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:33:00 +0000

Find legal streaming music, and organise it, with Music Box.

"Free music without limits" is the rallying cry of Freemake Music Box, a free-to-download program that will hunt through the narrow corridors of the Internet in search of free music, and then organise it for you. Quick It’s a small download, and...

Olympus SH-21 review

Martyn Clayden — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:25:00 +0000

Olympus shows off its touch screen feature-stuffed ultra-zoom compact.

The Olympus SH-21 compact digital camera is all about style and performance, with the manufacturer packing as many features as possible into a relatively slim casing, while still managing to make the camera look cool in a crowd. Available in three striking colours - metallic...

Kobo Wireless e-Reader review

IT Reviews Staff — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:08:00 +0000

A fully-featured eReader for under £70, Kobo goes head to head with Amazon’s Kindle..

In a market that’s increasingly dominated by Amazon and its Kindle, Kobo has relied on aggressive pricing and the promise of free books to get people interested in its own e-reading product. Its entry level device is the Kobo Wireless e-Reader, selling for £69.99 when we went shopping....

TP-Link MR-3020 portable 3G hotspot review

IT Reviews Staff — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:55:00 +0000

A compact, affordable but fully-featured device for sharing a 3G connection over Wi-Fi

Mobile broadband for PCs has not taken off...

Crux 360 for iPad 2 review

IT Reviews Staff — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:03:00 +0000

Clamshell case which turns your iPad 2 into a laptop

If you long for a proper keyboard to type on instead of the iPad 2’s virtual QWERTY when you’re on the move, Crux manufactures this accessory to offer a laptop experience with your tablet (and more besides). The device itself is fashioned from plastic,...

HTC Explorer review

IT Reviews Staff — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:54:00 +0000

The HTC Explorer is certainly affordable, but is it a false economy?

HTC has come up with another budget Android smartphone in the shape of the HTC Explorer. It’s a small handset with a rubberised back – perhaps well suited to younger users who don’t always take as much care of their phones as they should. But at a price under £150, can it...

Packard Bell: EasyNote TS13HR review

Martyn Clayden — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:35:00 +0000

Packard Bell's revamped TS13 goes heavy on social networking

Packard Bell's EasyNote TS range of 15.6in notebooks have been designed to be both stylish and to make the most of Intel's Sandy Bridge processors. Although the series has only recently been released, Packard Bell has decided it's already time to beef up the specs on the EasyNote...

OneForAll SmartControl Motion review

Paul Lester — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:45:00 +0000

If your living room is overrun with remote controls and you love your Wii, this could be the universal remote for you.

For many, all-in-one remote controls are an essential addition to a modern home cinema setup, effectively replacing what can soon become a veritable mess of magic sticks. OneForAll has been one of the most active contributors to this market and the Smart Control Motion represents the latest update...

Cowon iAudio 10 review

Paul Lester — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:45:00 +0000

Cowon returns with its latest PMP, sporting a rather unusual “twist”

Cowon is still intent on regularly refreshing its range of MP3 players, and as is fairly typical, the iAudio 10 arrives with another “twist”, on standard functionality and support. The company rarely issues small, understated devices and this is another fairly large offering, designed...

BlackBerry Bold 9790 - Initial Thoughts Review review

IT Reviews Staff — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0000

After a short break in their release cycle, Research In Motion has now brought us the BlackBerry Bold 9790 - which was first announced back in November, 2011. This phone was unveiled along with the first full touch screen Curve 9380. This was made available, soon after launch. In many...

Panasonic Eluga Smartphone Hands-On Preview review

IT Reviews Staff — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:17:00 +0000

It comes as no surprise that Panasonic chose to talk about its new Android smartphone at the company's 2012 European Convention. The new Eluga phone heralds a return to the mobile communications market in Europe, although Panasonic never stopped producing mobile handsets in Japan. You may...

Motorola Xoom 2 review

Sandra Vogel — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Motorola’s Xoom 2 is the follow-up to the original Xoom, which was one of the first Android tablets to appear. Now, of course, Android tablets are abundant, and there are top-end, mid-range and budget models to choose between. The Xoom 2 comes in two incarnations; we’re looking at the...

LG: IPS225V Monitor review

Martyn Clayden — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:59:00 +0000

LG releases a highly affordable 21.5 inch IPS display

It's generally recognised that IPS (In Plane Switching) panels are the most expensive of the current crop of monitor types available, on the market. These are usually significantly higher than the rival TN Film and VA screens. LG has pulled out all the stops here, to release a sub-£100 IPS...

Archos 101 G9 Android tablet review

Sandra Vogel — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:09:00 +0000

Archos has been making multimedia tablet based devices for a very long time, and while it might not be the first company you think when it comes to Android tablets – it does have quite a lot of them on its portfolio. The 101 G9 is a solid, well priced 10.1-incher. Looks aren’t...

Sony PlayStation Vita WiFi review

Tobias Henry — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:11:00 +0000

With powerhouse graphics and a great set of features, PlayStation Vita takes handheld gaming to a whole new level

The handheld game’s market is now very different from the one that Sony launched the PSP into, back in 2005. First Nintendo pulled off an unlikely triumph by prioritising innovative gameplay over graphics performance, with the DS – pulling in a whole new audience along the way. Then...

Nokia Lumia 710 review

IT Reviews Staff — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:39:00 +0000

Nokia’s second Windows Mobile based phone has a very attractive price tag. It is around £100 inc VAT cheaper than the flagship Nokia Lumia 800, SIM free. So, what corners have been cut to hit that price and can they be lived with? Lacking...

Canon PowerShot SX40 HS review

Martyn Clayden — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:15:00 +0000

Canon's new hybrid camera goes for quality over speed

Buying a camera before the digital era used to be relatively simple - you either went for the point 'n' click type (Polaroid, Instamatic) that did it all for you, or you went for full manual control from low-to-high spec SLRs. Now you have an ever-expanding middle-tier, such as the 'system' and...

TomTom Western Europe for iPhone review

Jamie Carter — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:09:00 +0000

Super slick but expensive turn-by-turn navigation app

This turn-by-turn app, from the brand that...

Sapphire Radeon HD6970 FleX Edition review

Simon Crisp — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:22:00 +0000

Sapphire’s FleX Edition range of cards have been designed to make it easier to implement AMD's Eyefinity multi-screen technology. This is without having to resort to using a DisplayPort equipped monitor, or having to buy expensive third-party active dongles. You have to use one of these two...

Archos 35 Smart Home Phone review

Sandra Vogel — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Cordless phones are widespread, though often they’re not hugely laden with technology. Archos is not the only company to try marrying DECT with Android, but that’s what the Archos 35 Smart Home Phone does. It’s not inexpensive either, coming it at £140. You can get...

Win a £350 Arcam Cube Sound System

IT Reviews Staff — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:11:00 +0000

Renown Cambridge based makers of hi-fi equipment, Arcam, has announced a competition with the prize being worth £350 – and all for just the click of a...

Pentax Q review

Jamie Carter — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:34:00 +0000

Lightweight interchangeable lens camera with a tempting price-drop

Why does less always cost more? The Pentax Q is the smallest interchangeable lens camera, which was launched in the UK late last year. It proved too pricey and has just received a massive price cut, as a direct result. No sooner had this review sample of the Q landed in our palm, than its thunder...

Samsung NP-900X3A-B02 review

Jamie Carter — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Super-slim 13.3-inch laptop with Intel Core i5 processor and USB 3.0

January’s International CES may have been dominated by a new generation of ultrabooks, but Samsung has been playing the super-slim game for some time – with its 16.3mm-slim Series 9 laptops. Styled as ‘ultra...

Dell Inspiron One 2320 review

IT Reviews Staff — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

A capable All in One from Dell

One group of computers that have never seemingly caught the public’s attention are the All-in-One PC’s. This is surprising, as all you have to do is find a home for the screen where the device makes for an ideal space-saver. Maybe it’s still the perception that they are the...

Intel 520 SSD 240GB review

Leo Waldock — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:08:00 +0000

Intel's new 520 series SSD is the fastest you'll see outside of a data centre.

Intel's latest SSD (Solid State Drive) model 520 feels rather familiar as it sports the same light silver casing as the model 510 and 1ooks pretty similar to every Intel SSD since the first X25-M which was launched back in 2008. The...

Kyocera Mita FS-C2526MFP Printer review

Simon Williams — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:18:00 +0000

A multifunction printer costing over £1,200 has to be something special.

A workgroup printer has...

Ricoh GR DIGITAL IV review

Martyn Clayden — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:25:00 +0000

Ricoh goes for fast hybrid AF, for its full-featured compact

Camera owners tend to fall into one of three categories. The 'happy snapper' who just wants something to point and click with; the 'dedicated amateur' who wants far more manual control and variety, but can't afford the expensive DSLRs – and the 'serious pro' who would only consider a compact...

Vivitek H1080 review

Jamie Carter — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:25:00 +0000

Accomplished, value-busting 1080p video projector

Office projectors adept with still images and Powerpoint slides are all very well – and very cheap – but with an increasing need for video and moving images in work situations, the video-capable category is getting more and more exposed to the mass market. Vivitek's latest, a...

Polaroid Z340 review

Jamie Carter — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:07:00 +0000

Instant digital camera using ZINK paper

Like Hoover, Sellotape and Tannoy, in its heyday the Polaroid brand was used almost as a generic term for a certain product. Can the instant photography concept make a comeback in the digital age? The Z340 is hot on the heels of products such as the X720E camcorder and an extension of the Lady...

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 review

Sandra Vogel — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:45:00 +0000

The original Asus Eee Pad Transformer was a real wow-inspiring Android tablet with a separate, but attachable keyboard. The Eee Pad Transformer Prime now adds a quad core processor and Android 4 into the mix. What could go wrong? We’re all talking about GPS Asus may have caused itself an...

Acer Aspire S3 review

Martyn Clayden — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:15:00 +0000

A good looking, svelte device, with a fast boot up time

First, there was the notebook, then the netbook and now, the ultrabook. Acer's Aspire S series is their first attempt to enter the genre that's big on fast performance, in a slim and stylish package. After taking the S3 out of the box, you have to admit, it's a chic little beauty. The...

Media Toolkit Ultimate review

Rob Beattie — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:19:00 +0000

With so many different audio and video standards and so many devices capable of playing them back it’s commonplace to find you’ve got some media you’d like to enjoy, but can’t quite get to work with your hardware or software player. This is where Mediavator’s Media...

Music Maker MX review

Rob Beattie — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:58:00 +0000

Looking more and more like Apple’s Garage Band, Music Maker MX conceals a proper home-recording product with all the effects, instruments, loops, samples and support for professional-level plugins, such as VST instruments. This is all beneath a friendly interface that allows you to make...

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL Extended Cut review

Martyn Clayden — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:05:00 +0000

It was two years ago that the original version of this arcade style zombie gore-fest was released, exclusively on the Wii, where its tongue-in-cheek B-movie atmosphere brought a refreshing dose of humour to the genre. Now SEGA has decided to give it a full makeover, while throwing in some extras...

Edifier Tick Tock Dock review

Rob Beattie — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:13:00 +0000

Looking rather like a cartoon alarm clock, the Tick Dock Dock is a combo clock radio/speaker dock that is designed to work with all iPods and iPhones and uses Apple's standard oblong connector. When listening to music, the speaker is surprisingly articulate so long as you don't go much above half...

Toshiba Portege Z830 Ultrabook review

Sandra Vogel — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:31:00 +0000

Ultrabooks might be the products that change the face of computing in 2012. They are small, thin, light and powerful, with a lot of allure. Most ultrabooks are currently aimed at consumers, but Toshiba has added one to its Portégé range – and as you’d expect, it is aimed...

ViewSonic VP2765-LED review

Martyn Clayden — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:45:00 +0000

A solidly built, versatile AMVA monitor which is unsure of its audience

Buying a monitor for your PC is becoming an increasingly complicated affair, with an ever broadening range of screen technologies (TN, IPS, PVA, MVA) as well as vital factors such as contrast ratio, screen resolution, response time, screen size and of course, price. So, who will the ViewSonic...

Toshiba Portege R830 review

Sandra Vogel — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:40:00 +0000

Toshiba has built a good reputation for its Portege range of notebooks, with the R series doing very well in the thin and light market arena. The latest update to the R830 model includes modern specifications, while retaining a look and feel from older models. Familiar territory The Toshiba...

Brother MFC-J5910DW Printer review

Martyn Clayden — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Brother's new budget-conscious A3 MFP dips on quality

They say bigger isn't necessarily better but when it comes to printers, the greater the range of paper you can feed into your machine, the more versatile and useful it should be for your office. While there are a significant number of compact size multifunction printers available for small...

Logitech Z906 Speaker System review

Darren Allan — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:06:00 +0000

THX-certified 5.1 speaker package that promises “theatre quality” sound

Logitech’s Z906 is a 5.1 surround package that’s designed to be hooked up to either your PC or your TV, as a home cinema system. It boasts three digital inputs, two optical and one coaxial, along with a standard analogue RCA input, and a 6-channel direct input so that it can be...

Epson Stylus Photo PX730WD review

Jamie Carter — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:29:00 +0000

AirPrint is a mere distraction on this quality photo printer for the home

Epson's latest printer may be provisionally aimed at iDevice owners, but it's D-SLR owners that are the real benefactors. The lab-quality photos is the carrot offered by Epson here. The mid-priced option from its Stylus Photo line-up does indeed deliver a convincing argument, for home...

Acer Aspire 5749 review

Martyn Clayden — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:08:00 +0000

Acer aim for practicality over good looks with the Aspire 5749

With all the current excitement about ultrabooks, it's important to keep in mind that there's a large market out there for people who need a good, honest, straight forward notebook that can meet most day-to-day needs without costing the earth. The Acer Aspire 5749 was designed to do just that,...

Ricoh CX6 Digital Camera review

Rob Beattie — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:17:00 +0000

Previous versions of the CX made a name for themselves as solid, compact point-and-shoot cameras with just enough extra photographic oomph to attract the more serious travelling snapper – with a justification for the slighter higher than average price tag. The CX6 continues the progress,...

Nokia 710 - initial impressions review

IT Reviews Staff — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

The Nokia Lumia 710 is basically an entry level version of the Finnish Windows Phone 7 launching pad device - the Lumia 800, which incorporated the radical new user interface from Microsoft. This UI was designed to make Windows Phone 7 accessible to the masses, where the 710 is intent on providing...

ViewSonic ViewPad 10e review

Martyn Clayden — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

ViewSonic's new Android tablet is let down by a non-certified OS

Ever since Apple's iPad 2 became the most desired (but most expensive) tablet on the market, all of its rivals have been hell bent on producing cheaper but similar Android and Windows versions, which would hopefully make a decent dent in Apple's profits. ViewSonic was one of the quickest to get in...

Canon PIXMA MG6250 review

Martyn Clayden — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:09:00 +0000

Canon's latest PIXMA MFP puts image quality first

The joy of the current multifunction printer market is that the sheer volume of machines on offer has reduced prices to extremely friendly levels. This is along with causing manufacturers to think carefully, about how many extra features they can squeeze into the design before falling foul of the...

Cocktail Audio X10 review

Jamie Carter — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:08:00 +0000

An all-in-one 500GB music streamer and CD player

The X10 is all about digitising, accessing and even adding to a music collection – and all without the need for a computer, with the ability to fit over 7,000 albums on its 500GB innards. Working as a NAS drive as well as a modern day hi-fi, we're not sure the X10 fills a gap in the market...

HIS Radeon HD6670 iSilence 4 review

Simon Crisp — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:14:00 +0000

Silent and capable graphics card, just don’t use it for gaming

As you might be able to glean from the name, the Radeon HD6670 iSilence4 from HIS is the latest in a long line of passively cooled and therefore silent graphic cards, from the Hong Kong based company. This...

Lenovo ThinkPad X220i review

Jamie Carter — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:12:00 +0000

Travel-friendly laptop for road warriors

We've heard Lenovo's hard-wearing laptops have come in for some pretty sturdy praise, from those with a fleet of mobile employees as well as the road-warrior class themselves. The arrival of the X220i is a good chance for us to test the brand’s rugged reputation. The...

Nikon 1 J1 review

Martyn Clayden — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:54:00 +0000

Nikon go for speed and quality with the new compact system J1

You may have noticed that there's been a growing trend to produce 'compact system' digital cameras with detachable lenses, which make ideal bridges between the point-'n'-click compact brigade and the serious pro-am DSLR owners – who want stacks of manual controls. Hence, the Olympus PEN...

Philips 50PFL7956 Cinema 21:9 Gold review

Jamie Carter — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:35:00 +0000

If you've ever sat down to watch a movie on your new big-screen TV and instantly berated those nasty black bars above and below the action, Phillips’ latest behemoth could be the golden ticket. It's been barely a decade since we saw the first widescreen TVs hit the UK shores, but this...

Packard Bell oneTwo M I3871 review

Darren Allan — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:13:00 +0000

Revamped all-in-one PC with a 21.5 inch touchscreen display and Core i3 processor

Why Packard Bell decided to call its all-in-one range the oneTwo, is beyond us or the reckoning of mortal man. You'd think it was the sort of name you might give a prototype or experimental computer, as in “testing, testing, oneTwo, oneTwo”. There must be a reason behind it, but it's a...

F-Secure Internet Security 2012 review

Simon Brew — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:05:00 +0000

Light on your system, and effective at keeping your computer secure, but does F-Secure’s latest have any chinks in its armour?

F-Secure Internet Security 2012 has a great deal of experience in the Internet security field, where this product has some solid reassurance straight from the off. It’s a competitively-priced suite of tools, with at least a 12 month licence to use them all – with traditional anti-virus...

thumbsUp Spy Watch review

Jamie Carter — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:38:00 +0000

Waterproof wristwatch with AVI, JPEG and WAV recording

Dustproof, and waterproof to a depth of 30m this may be, but the Spy Watch lives up to its name by offering some clandestinely features that you wouldn't normally expect to find around your wrist. What it lacks in design, build quality and general aesthetic...

Serif Photo Projects review

Simon Brew — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:34:00 +0000

The 2385385th commercial software release to allow you to showcase your photos. Give or take a few…

Serif Photo Projects is a standalone tool, albeit one that soon becomes clear, is a part of the firm’s broader Craft Artist package. To install the software, you first need to install Craft Artist Standard, and then you run the Photo Projects...

Samsung RF511 review

Jamie Carter — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:55:00 +0000

15” laptop with Intel Core i5 processor & USB 3.0

Samsung’s latest laptop is pleasingly priced for those who are after a do-it-all solution for the living room or bedroom, as it is an all-round laptop aimed at general users, rather than road warriors, gamers or remote worker. It's reasonably fast and will be advanced enough for mainstream...

Alienware M11x R3 review

Darren Allan — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:12:00 +0000

Compact 11.6 inch notebook with an SSD and Core i7 CPU

Alienware is pretty much as distinctive a computer make as you can get, and unsurprisingly the M11x R3 laptop is something of a looker. It's small but perfectly formed, with curved lines, a sleek black finish, and the usual alien heads adorning the back cover and power button. Light fantastic Not...

The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North review

Martyn Clayden — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:08:00 +0000

Bored of the Rings?

With a strong interest...

Corsair Red Vengeance 8GB DDR3 RAM review

IT Reviews Staff — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:23:00 +0000

8GB of performance RAM for under £40? So, what’s the catch?

Corsair’s Vengeance RAM kit boasts 8GB of DDR3, solidly packed in twinned 4GB sticks. Inevitably, this means you will need a 64-bit operating system to get the best results, but it is a worthy investment, if you have either one. The sticks themselves...

Android Smartphone Apps Roundup January 2012 review

Sandra Vogel — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:31:00 +0000

Now that you are well into 2012, and have made your way back into working life, you may be wondering about your work/life balance. Anything that helps you retain a better one has to be a good thing, and there are plenty of Android apps that fit the bill. All of these help you to maximise time at...

Deepak Chopra's Leela review

IT Reviews Staff — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:07:00 +0000

A spiritual Kinect exercise in playfulness and meditation

Deepak Chopra is a renowned author and speaker on spiritual matters. His outing on the Xbox is a very novel use of the Kinect motion tracking technology, which involves the exploration of the seven chakras (energy centres) located along the spine. Go with...

Packard Bell : Dot S review

Martyn Clayden — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Now that we're living in a post-iPad 2 age where everyone seems to have gone tablet crazy, one wonders how much longer the humble netbook will continue to find favour, especially as the smallest notebooks are becoming increasingly more powerful, lighter and less expensive. That...

Quiet PC Nofan IcePipe A43-Z68 Silent PC review

Rob Beattie — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:31:00 +0000

PC built for many silent nights of computing, but silence doesn't come cheaply

Rather like children, PCs can be noisy little monsters. Fortunately, unlike kids, they do have an off switch, although having to work with a loud computer can still be very distracting. Even an average PC makes a reasonable amount of fan and drive noise, and we've experienced some machines which...

Philips 42PFL7666 review

Jamie Carter — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:58:00 +0000

3D Smart TV with apps, smartphone control & networking

All hail the smart TV. Loaded with online video, networking opportunities and touchscreen apps for smartphones and tablets, this 3D-ready Edge LED-backlit LCD TV from Philips is an attempt to produce a thoroughly modern telly in tune with our convergent times. The super-slim TV comes with sharp,...