Review Archive

Results 1 to 25 of 81.

100 Classic Book Collection - Nintendo DS
Fancy a light spot of reading? 31 December 2008 16:00 GMT

The Good
Plenty of books to choose from, easy to select and turn pages

The Bad
Small screens make it hard to read

Verdict
A nice idea, but the atmosphere of the book is completely lost
Humax Freesat+ FOXSAT-HDR recorder
Can this challenge Sky+ HD? 31 December 2008 12:00 GMT

The Good
Easy to use, great interface, connectivity, no subscription, PVR functions work a treat

The Bad
Lack of HD content, price

Verdict
With the cost issue to one side, we loved the FOXSAT-HDR and it comes highly recommended
Jabra SP700 Bluetooth speakerphone
Calls through your car stereo 31 December 2008 9:00 GMT

The Good
Compact, simple to use, price

The Bad
Features depend on mobile phone, no contacts recognition, sound quality can be a little boomy

Verdict
A nice alternative to the Bluetooth headset, but make sure you download the full guide to discover all the features
Epson EH-TW3800 projector
Home cinema with the lights on? 30 December 2008 12:00 GMT

The Good
Gaming during the day, easy set-up, great build quality, accurate high-def images

The Bad
Movies look washed-out during day, heavy and very large

Verdict
Its huge size might put some off, but if you’re looking for a projector that can be permanently installed and used across a number of high-def sources, the jack-of-all-trades EH-TW3800 makes for a good value option
HP HDX16-1010EA notebook
Can this smaller desktop replacement perform? 30 December 2008 9:00 GMT

The Good
Stylish, great screen, feature-packed, semi-portable media centre

The Bad
Expensive, reflective display, battery life

Verdict
Oodles of style and packed with features, but this comfortable media centre isn’t cheap
Altec Lansing Expressionist BASS FX3022WHT PC speakers
Bass without the big box? 29 December 2008 12:00 GMT

The Good
Stylish, easy to use/setup, good sound for the price

The Bad
Sub on your desk means that your desk will vibrate, no remote, sound slightly thin

Verdict
Stylish and creates a good sound for the cash - these will liven up your desk tunes. A viable alternative to the Creative G series
Pentax K-m digital camera
A worthy entry-level offering? 29 December 2008 9:00 GMT

The Good
Image quality, price, ergonomics and handling, simple menu system, simple operation info panel, custom setting

The Bad
Limited flash modes, slow RAW writing, lightweight build, murky viewfinder, LCD lacks anti reflection coating, slight underexposure issues

Verdict
The Pentax K-m provides a simplified DSLR experience... providing a near point and shoot interface but with the bells and whistles you can also find on more advanced DSLRs. However, that very simplicity may be its Achilles heel
Vertical Racer RC car
Fun or pointless? 26 December 2008 16:00 GMT

The Good
Can climb walls, easy to use

The Bad
Takes six AA batteries to run, doesn't work on carpet, have to switch between floor and wall mode manually, takes forever to charge

Verdict
It's a fun idea, but we wish it was so much better
Motorola H780 Bluetooth headset
Receiving you loud and clear 26 December 2008 12:00 GMT

The Good
Simple, noise cancellation works

The Bad
Noise cancellation button is pointless, questionable styling, price

Verdict
Great performance, but the inclusion of the noise cancellation button is unnecessary. We’d rather they lowered the price
Nokia 6600 Slide mobile phone
Is simple the best? 26 December 2008 9:00 GMT

The Good
Small, easy to use, long battery life, 3G

The Bad
Lacks any features of a high-end phone, just lets you make phone calls

Verdict
It might be simple, but if that's all you want - this is a great little handset
Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip - Nintendo Wii
Balance Board hits the snow 24 December 2008 16:00 GMT

The Good
Cracking control options, nicely designed visuals

The Bad
Fairly short-lived story

Verdict
An absolute must for those packing a Balance Board, and a real incentive for those who haven’t succumbed to the lure of the Wii Fit
BlackBerry Remote Stereo Gateway Bluetooth transmitter
Will this let you share your BlackBerry tunes with a wider audience? 24 December 2008 12:00 GMT

The Good
Small, easy to setup, works with any BlackBerry with OS 4.2.2 and above, comes with phono and 3.5mm leads in box

The Bad
Needs power adapter

Verdict
Small and compact (well apart from the plug) this will get your music from your BlackBerry to your music stereo easily
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - Xbox 360
Here comes a new challenger 24 December 2008 9:00 GMT

The Good
Fantastic aesthetics, great storylines

The Bad
No brutal fatalities, dumbed-down gameplay

Verdict
With Street Fighter IV on the way, this cross-over lacks the real fight needed to rise to the top
Kodak EasyShare W1020 digital photo frame
Will this let you share your images around your home? 23 December 2008 16:00 GMT

The Good
Bright crisp screen, Wi-Fi, Flickr support, Kodak Gallery support

The Bad
Need a PC to get full advantage of the frame's capabilities, controls can be confusing to use

Verdict
The bright crisp screen is good, however the need to set it up via a PC is frustrating
Griffin AirCurve iPhone speaker
Will this boost your iPhone sound levels? 23 December 2008 12:00 GMT

The Good
No batteries, fits both iPhone and iPhone 3G

The Bad
Not very loud, iPhone holder is white when rest of unit is clear, only sits iPhone vertically

Verdict
It will improve the sound of your iPhone, but not anywhere near as much as a speaker system
TuneUp Utilities 2009 - PC
Will this keep things shipshape? 23 December 2008 9:00 GMT

The Good
Well integrated components, plenty of information available on recommended fixes, good degree of control, very easy to use

The Bad
Much of this can be done with free tools supplied with Windows

Verdict
TuneUp Utilities’ target market is beginners or those with older machines and if you’re not confident getting into the nitty-gritty of Windows’ system tools this is an excellent solution
Motorola H15 Bluetooth headset
Hello? Can you hear me? 22 December 2008 16:00 GMT

The Good
Desktop charger, comfortable, noise cancellation works, boom mic power switch

The Bad
Price, design might not be for some

Verdict
There are cheaper models available, but you can’t guarantee that you’ll get anything like the quality of experience
Viewsonic VX2260wm monitor
22 inches of good-looking loveliness? 22 December 2008 12:00 GMT

The Good
Excellent contrast levels, sharp lines, good value for money

The Bad
Colours can appear a little muted, no preset image modes

Verdict
The VX2260 performs very well for the price and will certainly help you get the most from HD-encoded video and the latest games
Toshiba Qosmio G50-115 notebook
Power at a preferable price 22 December 2008 9:19 GMT

The Good
Great performance, comfort, features

The Bad
No Blu-ray support, heavy

Verdict
Toshiba’s entry-level G50 is crammed with features and offers excellent quality, and only the lack of support for Full HD lets it down
Clickfree HD225 backup hard drive
Hassle-free backup? 20 December 2008 12:00 GMT

The Good
Simple, no software needed, customisation options, supports more than one PC, compact

The Bad
Expensive, not the fastest solution

Verdict
Although expensive, Clickfree lives up to its name, giving you a simple way to backup your files in a convenient form without having to install anything or rely on scheduled backups
Nikon Coolpix P6000 digital camera
Can this challenge the G10 and LX3? 19 December 2008 15:30 GMT

The Good
Build and handling, low ISO image quality, easy to use, image stabilisation

The Bad
Basic optical viewfinder, intermittent GPS, high ISO image noise, price

Verdict
The Nikon Coolpix P6000 is the top of the proverbial tree in terms of Coolpix models and boasts some very cool kit indeed. It’s great to use and has impressive performance at the core and is well worth considering even if it is a bit pricey at £430
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700 digital camera
Will this let you share your images easily? 19 December 2008 14:00 GMT

The Good
Touchscreen easy to use, 4GB onboard memory, picture playback search feature

The Bad
Battery power, need dedicated USB cable, zoom toggle awkward

Verdict
While the picture quality of the T700 is good, the power hungry touchscreen and not amazing picture playback means you aren't getting a perfect package
Toshiba Regza 42ZV555DB television
Resolution+ put on trial 19 December 2008 12:00 GMT

The Good
Good rich sound, price, upscaling cleans up SD noise, proper "off" button

The Bad
Freeview image not fantastic, upscaling comes with caveats, EPG and menus look dated

Verdict
For us, the Freeview performance stumbled against rivals, but this is still quite a lot of screen for your money. Is this the resolution revolution that Toshiba promised? Not quite
DViCO TViX R-3300 media streamer
Will this connect your media? 19 December 2008 9:00 GMT

The Good
Excellent video and audio quality, good media control and format support, versatile

The Bad
Can be awkward to set up and configure, no built-in wireless, poor EPG, expensive

Verdict
If you value quality over usability and aren’t put off by the price, the R-3300 is a decent enough effort that should impress
Sony Ericsson T303 mobile phone
Glorious simplicity or seriously lacking? 18 December 2008 16:00 GMT

The Good
A solid, attractive design

The Bad
No remarkable features to shout about

Verdict
The Sony Ericsson T303 is the perfect companion for a child, with a pretty design to match, but it does miss some big features including a microSD card slot