The PS3 may be a classy console, but where’s the games? What we need is an old school classic – something fun with big guns.

It was only a matter of time before PS2 staples Ratchet and Clank popped up on Sony’s new toy. They’re about the closest the company has to Mario, Sonic and MasterChief. OK, so they look like the kind of cutesy characters you’d see on CBeebies, but there’s no mistaking the firepower.

We’re happy to report that the action’s back to being about platforms, running and blasting. We’ll overlook that daft arena based combat cash in that debuted a while back.

Tools of Destruction is a true return to form for the long living series. We’re right back to the winning formula of running, jumping and blasting away as many evil baddies as possible.

Slip your brain into first gear and R&C is the perfect game to wind down to. So what it’s not "real world"? There’s level upon level of fun so we’re not complaining.

You’ll be controlling Ratchet most of the time, as per usual. Clank never gets much time in the limelight, but his sections bring a welcome change of pace and lots of little levels to explore. It’s even better now the guy has a pair of robotic wings.

If you’ve played R&C before though, you’ll know that Ratchet and Clank are merely window dressing for the main action. The weapons are the real stars here.

There’s been some great Ratchet weaponry down the years but Tools of Destruction ups the ante somewhat. You start with a handful of dull looking blasters, but grab a few bolts (the game’s currency) and you can start buying some cracking stuff. Look out for the Grooveatron.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. As you use each weapon, it’ll grow in stature and transform into new and even more powerful piece of gadgety goodness. You’ll find over time that some weapons suit your style of play better than others, so most will stay at their rubbish starting point.

All those weapons would count for nothing if the game was dull as a wet weekend in Barnet though. Ratchet on the PS3 is more like a riotous action packed holiday in the Canaries thankfully.

The only downside is the length of the game. Losing a life is a rarity and you’ll be through it in a few days. That’s great for the young ‘uns, but not so much fun for us old hands who like a challenge. Mind you, finish it and you’re rewarded with a far harder difficulty setting. Just try completing Ratchet twice.

The graphics are spot on. The PS2 versions were always glorious to look at, dripping in detail in both the fore and background, but the extra pixel processing power of the PS3 has been used to gorgeous good.

Each world has its own feel and style and to see the vast number of characters, explosions and various effects all go off at once is the equivalent of a nice cream stuffed cake for your eyes.

Tags: Gaming PS3 Sony

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction - PS3 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:00:00 +0000

Media oriented LCD TVs may be a little outside Rock's typical array of power notebooks, but that hasn't stopped it producing the Meivo E4300.

Designed to offer a total solution for those who want to watch television, browse the Internet, manage DVDs and other encoded media and of course act as a full-blown PC, it's a good indication of the sort of combo product we can expect to see in every home within the next decade.

Apple fans may claim Rock has stolen the design from the iMac, and the more observant of you will notice similarities to the Sony Vaio VGC-LA1 in that the entire unit is enclosed within the LCD screen's casing, sandwiched between two rather large 3W speakers to accompany the built in 6W subwoofer.

In fact Rock has a little more to offer than your typical computer, with two dedicated TV inputs for a standard analogue aerial or satellite connection, a built-in digital/analogue hybrid TV tuner and a range of media oriented add-ons such as a 1.3MP camera and multi card reader.

It's no slouch when compared to a more conventional PC either, sporting an Intel dual core E4300 processor, 250GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM.

Finally you'll find both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi built-in, rounding off an extremely capable machine that should leave you prepared for just about anything.

The 22-inch screen is very impressive, as we'd expect from someone as successful with portable display technology as Rock.

It comes with Vista Home Premium preloaded, along with a wireless mouse and keyboard and remote control to access and control the Media Center functionality.

Setup and control of the Meivo is about typical of any Vista PC, so the main shout for Rock with this new entry is clearly the home cinema oriented features that it has integrated seamlessly into a unit with such a small footprint.

We thought the Meivo looked great and performed admirably, and although it doesnít really have the size or connectivity to replace the main display in your home it'd be perfectly suitable for a study or secondary display in another room.

If you're looking to use the device primarily as a television you might be put off by a lack of HDMI or component connections although with these smaller screen sizes it is not as necessary to take advantage of higher-quality video connections and so is something we're prepared to live with.

Tags: Home Cinema Televisions LCD televisions Desktop PCs Hardware Rock Rock Meivo LCD TV

Rock Meivo LCD TV originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:00:00 +0100

Fresh from his scene stealing turn in The Departed, Mark Wahlberg takes lead billing in this Jason Bourne style action thriller about a government sharp shooter wrongly accused of assassinating the US president.

When a black ops mission deep in the African wilderness goes wrong and his partner is killed, Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg) says goodbye to the Special Forces and retreats to a remote mountain getaway where he spends the next 3 years shooting pigeons and getting drunk with his dog.

Enter Colonel Isaac Johnson (Danny Glover), who has uncovered a plot to kill the president and needs Swagger’s help to prevent it.

Before you can say “Why is Glover talking in that ridiculous voice, is it supposed to be a lisp?” Bob is on the run, with two bullets in his shoulder and half the country’s police force on his ass, accused of assassinating the President.

Adapted from Stephen Hunter’s cult novel “Point Of Impact” Shooter was supposed to be the first in a string of Swagger movies, but on this evidence it doesn’t look like Wahlberg with necessarily get another erm…shot at the franchise.

As his character’s name suggests, Wahlberg can certainly walk the walk but thanks to a misfiring script from Jonathan “Lethal Weapon 4” Lemkin he rarely talks the talk.

In between the carnage, and there’s plenty of it, the dialogue flips from the cliched (“bad things happen to good people”) to the laughable (“sometimes to catch a wolf you got to tie the bait to a tree”) and the initial premise is frankly ridiculous.

For Swagger to have no idea that he is being set up would require a monumental feat of incompetence, something not usually associated with experts in counter intel, and you end up feeling like the dopey swine probably got exactly what he deserved.

As for the extras, first up is an enlightening audio commentary from director Antoine Fuqua that deals with technical aspects of the production as well as the political issues raised in the script.

The 21-minute featurette, “Survival of the Fittest: The Making of Shooter”, then takes us behind the scenes of Wahlberg’s sniper training sessions and the spectacular glacier shoot out (talking heads from all the major players are also included). Next up is the “Independence Hall” segment, which features a bizarre lesson on American history before showing us exactly why Philadelphia would be the best place to make an assassination attempt on the president.

Completing the package are seven deleted scenes which flesh out Swagger’s character a little more but were eventually chopped to keep the running time down.

Tags: Home Cinema DVD Mark Wahlberg Danny Glover

Shooter - DVD originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:00:00 +0100

If you’ve just gone to the expense of upgrading your PC to include Windows Vista you may not be looking to spend more on extending the multimedia functions of Media Centre – that is if your version came with it in the first place. However, Cyberlink has put together a suite of six tools that certainly offer great value for money and will help you get more from your video and TV habits.

As with any media centre software, you can use Media Deluxe Pro to catalogue and view your digital images, music and movies, as well as pre-set and record your favourite television shows. What’s more, you can choose to record TV programmes straight to DVD. While this will save hard disk space, you’ll need a high-end specced PC, as this is a seriously heavy hardware task to run.

The look is quite impressive and follows the look laid down by Vista’s Media Centre but with this software you can do a great deal more. For instance, there are wider controls for Vista’s HD and widescreen optimisation tools and it will even allow you to add more than one receiver, so you can switch between digital and terrestrial tuners and record both at the same time. MagicSports is a feature that is able to automatically recognise when something exciting is happening on screen and records it for future playback. It’s a bit limited at the moment as will only work with football and some American sports, such as Baseball, but we’ve been assured this will grow to include other sports in time.

SoftDMA is a feature that allows you to stream commericla video and audio over networks that support DNLA-certified media players. One of the best features, and something that isn’t supported in most Freeview boxes, is time-shift support. This allows you to watch a programme you’re already recording at any point that has already been shown. This is good, as it means you don’t need to miss anything or have to wait until the end of the show.

For those who simply want to edit and share they own media, there are a number of tools that are basic but help to get the job done. PhotoNow and MagicDirector both offer basic editing and burning to disc functions for your photos and videos, respectively. The controls may be simple but there is support for both HD DVD and Blu-ray, so if you’ve invested in a rewriter then you can make the most of it.

Related links:

• Link - Cyberlink

Tags: Software PC software Video editing software Cyberlink

Cyberlink Media Deluxe Pro - PC originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 May 2007 11:00:00 +0100

In a market swimming with 2.1 speakers it's difficult to find a product that stands out from the crowd.

Combining a sub and separate speakers into a portable travel solution isn’t something we’ve seen a lot of, but ThinkOutside's BoomTube H20 certainly falls into this category.

It's a very stylish unit, innovatively designed so that the terminals slot neatly either side of the sub for transportation in the carry case provided.

Simply twist off the terminals and wire them into the subwoofer and you’re ready to go. Reinforcing its capabilities as a portable solution is a built-in rechargeable battery; once charged from the mains you can expect around 5 hours of use - a handy coloured LED warns you when the battery is getting low so you have some idea of when it’ll need a charge.

You'll find controls on the sub for volume and bass boost, along with a line-in and headphone port on the back. It's an excellent start then, and we were really hoping the performance did justice to the effective design and features.

As part of a tongue-in-cheek marketing strategy ThinkOutside provides you with a pair of foam earplugs in the box, humorously entitled "for your neighbours". This is perhaps a tad optimistic coming from such a compact and portable speaker but we were none the less surprised at the excellent clarity and an impressive 40W of power that can certainly do justice to your audio through a range of environments.

The 2.1 arrangement means you’re getting a better audio image than most other travel-oriented speakers, and with this much power under the hood we found them perfectly suitable for a more permanent placement next to a television or alongside your PC.

Considering the name and conscientious ear-plug inclusion we were a little let down by the impact from the sub. Although you can’t expect anything overly dramatic from something this size we were hoping for a little better.

Overall the sound quality is excellent though, easily loud enough if the situation warrants it yet crisp and clean enough for a subtle addition to an A/V setup or for using with an MP3 player.

At £99.99, they're reasonably priced considering the performance and versatility on offer. You'll find better solutions around for specific environments but in terms of something you can either carry around on the move or use as a more permanent audio solution in almost any situation, this is one of the best setups we've seen for a while.

Tags: Audio Speakers ThinkOutside

ThinkOutside BoomTube H20 speakers originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 09:00:00 +0000

Satnav has changed the way we navigate about the place. At one time, every motorist worth his salt had a paper map tucked under the driver’s seat but in this age of gadgets, you’re just as likely to find an electronic map stuck to the dashboard.

Not so if Microsoft has anything to do with it, as this latest version in the Autoroute series stays firmly intended for the notebook, or desktop PC, user. The one nod to the modern motorist is the addition of a bundled GPS receiver. If you’re planning to use it on long trips, we’d suggest investing in a charger for your notebook, which you plug into the cigarette lighter, as well as disabling the Hibernation or screen savers.

The idea of having a large screen with the map on it may sound like a good idea but in practise, it’s less than ideal.

For starters, you’ll need to place it in the passenger seat – or on a partner’s lap – and even then it isn’t in eye-line so less trust worthy than a dashboard mounted solution.

Aside from the driving safety aspect, we were also a little afraid of pulling up to lights, as having a notebook on display isn’t the best idea of getting around town unseen.

On the plus side, because it’ll be run from your notebook the designers haven’t had to worry about limited storage space. To this end, you get more Points of Interest (POI) and map detail than can possibly be found on any other solution. So, you really want to explore a new area and find the best places to pull up, this is as good a tool as any online search engine and as it works seamlessly with Microsoft Live can help you plan journeys.

In fact, this is possibly where Autoroute is intended to be used – as a journey planner. It allows you to enter you start and finish points and then to calculate either the quickest, cheapest or most interesting of routes.

This may be nothing new but what Autoroute allows you to do is to enter the cost of fuel and to work out how much it’ll cost you, or if you need to claim it back from your employer, how but to bill them.

Related links:

• - Link

Tags: Software PC software Mapping Software Microsoft Car And GPS

Microsoft Autoroute 2007 - PC originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The first thing you should know about Aperture is that it comes with a very big manual, and for good reason. Despite its attractive user interface, it takes some time to understand not only its organisational system, but also its terminology.

Our first look of Aperture when we got a rather long demo at Photokina was positively glowing. However, now that we've had time to negotiate it ourselves, the outlook is a bit less rosy.

We tried using it in the field, so to speak, when speed in sorting and editing was of the essence, and found that it rather let us down.

The organisation of images within the file browser, or Projects panel, doesn't mirror the one on the computer; rather, Aperture sorts images into projects, folders and albums that you sort within the program. Thus before you can even start using it, you have to teach yourself its naming conventions for organising files.

The easiest way of navigating the interface is through shortcut keys, but good luck learning them; they're included in a four page quick hints guide, and they're not exactly logical. (And while we're on the subject of shortcut keys, hitting Apple and + or – as you do in Photoshop to zoom has no effect, as you can't zoom properly on the previews. You can view the images full sized or fitting the window, but other than that, you're out of luck.)

The Projects system does give you the option of creating Smart Albums or Smart Web Galleries, which function similarly to Smart Playlists in iTunes – however, they're tricky little devils to get right. It took us more than 5 minutes of trying various combinations and banging our heads on the desk before we got the Smart Album to only display RAW images that were shot on the 28th December. It should be dead simple, but it's not. There's no way to filter results by File Type, so you have filter by File Name (with the RAW file extension, in this case, .CR2). Then the Smart Album pulled all the RAW files in the Project, not just the folder within the project where the Smart Album was located, so we had to filter by date. Good luck with that one - it didn't react at all to "Date" "is" "28/12/2006".

There's plenty more little aggravations that we could bang on about, but our biggest complaint is its speed, or lack thereof.

After importing a day's worth of files into Aperture on to a speced-out MacBook Pro, it takes seemingly forever to render the previews properly for full-screen viewing. I'm sure if you used Aperture on a Power Mac tower, it would fly, but it needs to fly on Apple's top-spec notebook computer as well for those keen to use it "in the field".

Adjustments made on to large files are also not immediate; dragging sliders around is like pulling them through molasses, and the result is overadjustment if you can't be bothered to wait for the results to show on the file.

All right, you may be thinking, this piece of software is meant to satisfy not just the consumer, but the professional, as Apple designed this for professionals to use as their RAW workflow.

And professionals would take the time to learn how to use it, or at least, their assistants would. But a lot of pros, at least, studio pros, shake their heads at the software, because they can't shoot tethered to it; they can't hook up their camera to it so that their images appear immediately in Aperture, ready to check for sharpness and accuracy, and already sorted.

Apple has worked around this issue by recommending that pros shoot to software like Capture One or Nikon or Canon's proprietary software, and then set up an Automator to import the file and open it in Aperture.

We'll leave it to you to decide if this is wise advice.

Related links:

• Shop - Apple Store

Tags: Software Mac software Photo editing software Apple Cameras Photokina

Apple Aperture photo editing software originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 11:00:00 +0000

How does someone review a computer repair service, you might wonder. The task becomes a lot easier when your computer dies at precisely the time you hear of a new service, because it's obviously going to require some serious work in order to get it up and running.

My Sony Vaio kicked the bucket one afternoon after fair warning – grinding noises all weekend, several crashes, and then finally, multiple blue screens of death. It was painful and slow, both the computer, and the death.

So it was Geeks on Wheels to the rescue, only I live outside the home visit area, which extends to London and Sussex at the moment, so I had to courier my ailing machine to them. However, this was only done as a special favour, as ordinarily the Geeks don't accepted laptops by mail.

However, if you do live within the service area, Geeks on Wheels promise to arrange a time that's convenient to you to come and sort out your IT issues.

The news was not good on my computer. It needed a full hard drive replacement, and that was the bottom line.

Thankfully, the staff are professional and efficient, so you can banish thoughts of unfriendly youths turning up at your doorstep to poke at your processor. They're friendly and seem to know what they're doing, but you do have to pay a premium for this sort of bespoke service.

The work that was done on my laptop including diagnosing the memory and hard drive, installing of a new hard drive and Windows XP SP2, securing the PC with AVG Antivirus, MS Defender and Ccleaner, and restoring data from the old machine. For my problem, the labour costs came to £200, and that's without a call-out charge, remember. However, the replacement part was a very reasonable £62 for a brand-new 80GB hard drive.

The PC came back to me at full health, but it was a bit of a shock to have all the previously-installed programs wiped off. It is a reminder to always make sure you keep the installation discs of software you buy, as you might need to do a complete re-install. However, all my data was transferred safely, as the engineers managed to rescue my files from the faulty hard drive.

It's a shame that Geeks on Wheels doesn't have more coverage across the country, but they're planning to expand nationally next year. They offer a 10% discount for OAPs, students and nurses from their usual prices, which start at £75 call-out charge for the first hour, £37.50 for every half hour thereafter in London, and £60 for the first hour and £30 per 30 minutes thereafter in Sussex.

Telephone support is available from 0800 to 2100 Monday to Friday, and between 0900 and 1700 Saturday and Sunday.

The company also offers a range of service for home users that includes a System Tune-up, Data Transfer, Wireless Network Setup, and Basic Home Training. Businesses are also welcome to call up the Geeks on Wheels if they're having difficulties.

Related links:

• Link - Geeks on Wheels

Tags: Hardware Biz Geeks on Wheels

Geeks on Wheels originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 28 Dec 2006 13:00:00 +0000

Based on the popular comic strip by Michael Fry and T Lewis, “Over the Hedge” is the latest animated adventure from Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks studios.

Spring has sprung in the forest and a group of foragers including Verne the turtle (Shandling), Stella the skunk (Sykes), and Hammy the squirrel (Carell) are slowly emerging from hibernation.

Much to their horror they soon discover that the forest has been nearly completely destroyed while they have been enjoying their annual sleepathon.

Now, all that remains is a small square of woodland, surrounded by a tall hedge and a sprawling housing development.

With no forest left there’s no way the gang will be able to find enough food to see them through the next winter … until wily racoon RJ (Willis) turns up and introduces them to the delights of sugar-filled soft drinks and cheesy nachos.

While the main message of the film focuses on the importance of family - which has been repeated ad nauseam by now - “Over the Hedge” also addresses weighty issues such as consumerism, global warming and obesity.

One example of the film’s environmental undertones can be seen when RJ tries to explain what a car is to his fellow forest dwellers: “That is an SUV. Humans use them to get around because they're slowly losing their ability to walk”. Looking admiringly at the huge vehicle the animals say: “Oooh! How many humans fit in there?” to which he replies: “Usually one”.

Furthermore, apart from the obvious message about suburban America slowly eating away at its natural habitat, there are some tasty lines like: “Animals eat to live, humans live to eat” and “for humans enough is never enough” that mock the increasingly gluttonous outlook of the “civilised” West.

There is also a witty attack on junk food manufacturers late on when Hammy the squirrel is given an energy drink with explosive consequences. However, the majority of the young audience are unlikely to pick up on these subtle messages and, although there are no direct product placements, kids are likely to come out of the cinema pleading to have a pack of crisps like the cute hamster or a fizzy drink like the crazy squirrel.

And even if they’ve only had one of the “slow-release energy bars” included in promotional packs handed out before preview screenings of the film, the noise of the screaming kids all round is likely to push you “Over the Edge”.

Fans of Hammy the squirrel will be glad to find a brand new short film specially created for this special edition DVD, which sees the hyper rodent trying unsuccessfully to outsmart a boomerang.

Elsewhere there is a lively talk-track from directors Tim Johnson & Karey Kilpatrick and producer Bonnie Arnold, and plenty of featurettes to keep both old and young amused. As well as interviews with the entire voice cast, there are also drawing lessons, set-top games, pop-up animal facts and printable activities accessible via DVD-ROM. A spoof infomercial, voiced by Thomas Hayden Church completes the package.

Tags: Home Cinema DVD Animations

Over the Hedge - DVD originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 22 Dec 2006 11:00:13 +0000

When it comes to editing your digital photographs, you want to feel confident with the package – not be overwhelmed by the information on the screen and be able to easily identify the tools you want. Which is why Paint Shop Pro has always been one of our favourites. Sure, it lacks many of the finer points of its far more impressive, and more expensive, Photoshop, but for the average user it’s all you really need.

So what does this latest overhaul offer that wasn’t already there? For starters, with the growing popularity in DSLR cameras, and the increased popularity of RAW files, support is now offered. The filter allows you to make a host of changes to everything from Brightness to colour sharpening.

The basic interface and engine is still the same, which is a blessing as it was a vast improvement over earlier versions. No longer does it take an age to load your filters and presets and the overall feel is of a far more refined product, which results in less waiting around for things to happen. The makeover tools, which allow you to alter individual parts of a picture, clear away blemishes from a face or even whiten teeth, for example, have be beefed up. This feature tends to work in the same way as cloning but reduces the need for minute detail by flattening the pixels to hide blemishes and problems. While it’s not powerful enough for truly professional results, it meets the average user’s needs.

One of the problems levelled at earlier editions has been the lack of control for histograms, which can make it difficult to know exactly what you’re doing. This has bee addressed in this version, giving the user a far higher level of control.

Some features haven’t changed, for instance, the camera noise removal filter is still the same but as it works perfectly fine why change it? There is also a colour changer that allows you to hone in on a subject, a dress for instance, and change it. So, if you’ve never liked your other-half’s dress sense you can change it for posterity. Newer features include a Phot Tray organiser and a Time Machine, which allows you to artificially age your pictures, which is fun if a little trivial.

Tags: Software PC software Photo editing software Corel Cameras

Corel Paint Shop Pro XI - PC originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 11:00:00 +0000

Be-ez is bringing two new laptop bags to the UK in an effort to expand from the iPod cases and laptop sleeves that are currently on offer. We got our hands on the LE13 and the LEvertigo models to see how they hold up against the competition.

The LE13 is advertised as being able to transform from a laptop case into a mini-suitcase, but in reality you have to be a very light packer indeed to get everything in for a night away - most men could probably do it, but ladies may struggle. It fits small and compact notebook computers like the MacBook, but MacBook Pro owners, and therefore laptop owners with screens over 15-inches, are out of luck.

The outside has a plain and functional look, but the case unzips to reveal a bright splash of turquoise lining. Pockets galore ensure that you can stow all your little stuff safely and securely, although it might take a bit of searching to find them.

The main pocket holds the laptop in a sling, leaving room for clothes in front of it. On the outside is a velcro-closed pocket for documents, with fliptop pocket in the front with pockets for credit cards and the like, although it's debatable if your valuables will be safe under such an easily-lifted flap.

At the rear is another document zipper enclosure, which is quite slim.

The strap looks like an airline seatbelt, made of the same slippery-feeling material that unfortunately slides all too easily off the shoulder, and has no padding.

The LEvertigo fairs slightly better than the LE13, but this is not the tote for the businessman on an overnight trip. The unusual design means that you slip your 15-inch notebook vertically rather than horizontally into the case, which keeps your silhouette streamlined.

It's an extremely slim case, with room for a few documents, the powercord (barely) and a few other odds and ends that can be stored in various zippered pockets.

The inside is lined with a rather plush velvety fabric that cushions your precious laptop and just feels good. The outside edges have been covered in a plasticy finish that doesn't scream quality, but perhaps you're not trying to draw attention to the kit you're carrying. And it's also blighted by the non-padded seatbelt strap.

Tags: Hardware Laptop accessories beez

Be-ez LEvertigo and LE13 laptop bags originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:00:22 +0000

Nikon's latest offering to the digital SLR market is the D40, designed around the theme "Simply Nikon". Smaller and lighter than the previous entry-level model, the D50, the D40 costs just £450.

The company has tried to combine features that make the camera easy for first timers to use, but then are able to provide more advanced options as the amateur improves. We got our hands on one at an exclusive launch event held in London, so that we can offer you our first impressions.

Although the D40 is compact and relatively lightweight, it feels well-built compared to many other budget options. It has the same 6MP CCD as the D50, and boasts the same powerful Nikon Image processing engine as the D80 and the D200, which is an improvement over the D50.

One of the most intriguing features, at least for beginners, is the new "assist images", which gives you a sample picture for a given setting so that you can choose the right one. It's a simple idea, but effective. Similarly, one of the display options for viewing current shooting settings shows the aperture and shutter speed with a visual diagram, to demonstrate the size of the aperture with the speed indicated around the outside of the aperture ring. This should help beginners grasp the relationship between the two, and remember the aperture's effect on the light hitting the sensor.

A new Auto ISO feature sets the ISO from 200 to 1600 as you change the aperture or shutter speed for a given scene. This is hugely useful, as the ISO's relationship to available light can be one of the most difficult concepts for beginners to grasp.

Handling is generally very good, with a number of buttons that may be ignored by the beginner, but much appreciated by the more advanced user. One criticism that we have is that changing custom settings, like choosing one of the three display options for current shooting settings, is a bit convoluted and hard to find. It's not likely to be a choice that will have to be accessed very often, but it would have been nice to pick up the camera and understand how to get there straight away.

Because there is no small panel to display shooting information, as on many consumer DSLRs these days, the large, 2.50-inch LCD takes on this function. The default is to have the display off unless you press the "info" button behind the shutter button; however, this can be changed so that it stays on all the time, if you wish.

The D40 also has a little Function button on the front near the lens; it's customisable to let you get, in one push, to oft-used settings, like ISO or metering. This level of customisation is quite advanced for an entry-level camera.

Tags: Cameras DSLR cameras 6 megapixels Nikon Digital cameras

Nikon D40 DSLR camera - FIRST LOOK originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:59:20 +0000

The Break Up is an unconventional romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn as a couple going through an ugly “War of the Roses”-style break-up.

When Gary (Vaughn) asks Brooke (Aniston) to “take a bite on my sausage” during a chance meeting at a baseball game the pair instantly hit it off and a whirlwind romance ensues.

But cracks begin to show when they move in together and Brooke sees Gary’s slobbish habits – he spends most of his spare time playing “Grand Theft Auto” and boozing with his best mate (Favreau) – at first hand.

Eventually, after an ugly argument about doing the washing up, the pair decide to split, but neither is prepared to move out of their luxurious Chicago flat.

In an effort to drive Brooke out of the apartment Gary moves a pool table into the lounge and invites prostitutes round for games of strip poker. Brooke, on the other hand, plays Alanis Morissette records at high volume all night - a far worse punishment we’re sure you’ll agree.

Vaughn is at his best when improvising his way through the playful opening sequences (and during the all too few scenes with his old mate Favreau who plays a bar owner with an anger management problem) but struggles when things get more serious late on.

Aniston fares better with the material, however, and proves what a competent dramatic actress she can be when she picks the right roles. But together, apart from some well-written domestic dust-ups, the pair have minimal on-screen chemistry (despite actually dating during filming) and, ironically, generate none of the heat that Aniston’s former husband Brad Pitt did with Angelina Jolie during last year’s “Mr and Mrs Smith”.

This earlier movie, and the similarly-themed “The War of the Roses”, worked because we believed the couple really cared for each other and we wanted them to end up together. Here, however, you get the feeling that they would both be better off on their own.

Anyone hoping for some inside gossip on Vaughn and Aniston’s own romantic saga will be disappointed by the lively, but uninformative, audio commentary which sticks strictly to their on-screen relationship.

Similarly inadequate are the deleted scenes and outtakes, which add nothing to the original cut, other than to prove that Vaughn is still one of the finest improvisers in the business.

The only other special feature included is an abysmal alternative ending - set after the sale of the unhappy couple’s apartment - which is ruined by another overtly camp appearance from John Michael Higgins (Brooke’s brother in the film).

Tags: Home Cinema DVD Comedy

The Break-Up - DVD originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 17 Nov 2006 11:00:46 +0000

While at Photokina 2006, we took a closer look, through a couple of demonstrations, of Apple’s updated Aperture 1.5, and the package looks very impressive.

Designed to be a RAW workflow solution for professional photographers, it manages to incorporate several consumer features without ever losing its cool, polished feel. For example, in the main interface are a couple of buttons to create photobooks and webpages, and although these are easy to use, they produce professional-looking results.

The Aperture library has changed a bit from the first version of the software. You can decide where to store and organise your images, whether through a folder system or through Aperture’s albums. It also integrates Smart Album that work just like Smart Playlists in iTunes. A professional photographer, for example, could tag his images with a shoot number, rating, and models’ names, and then create a Smart Album with all images rated five stars and tagged with the name Keith from that shoot.

In addition, Lighttables can be saved so that you can group images, lay them out, resize them and compare them, and then save exactly what you were working on while you do another task.

All edits or changes are preserved in versions, so that you can always go back to the original file. Any edits that you make will carry through all your albums.

Aperture also creates nice-looking previews of all your images, including ones that are stored externally, and lets you edit and organise them while you’re disconnected from the source. It can do this precisely because it is a non-destructive image editor that never touches the original files.

The tighter integration with other Apple software means that you never have to come out of Aperture to use your images. Emailing images is a breeze; you simply drop an image on to the Mail icon, and Aperture converts it from RAW if necessary and resizes to attach to the email.

Another feature that impressed us is the new image editing tools, including advanced Colour controls. These let you select blue, red, yellow, green, purple, or magenta colours in the image and then carefully tune Hue, Saturation, and Luminance in each colour channel. Those settings can be saved as presets and then stamped across a stack of images.

Other powerful editing tools include various spot and dust reduction tools, and a new edge-sharpening tool.

The Loupe tool, which was always a winning idea, has become even better. It now can be positioned to oneside, to enlarge whatever the cursor lands on without actually following the cursor around the screen, so that it doesn’t block parts of images.

Results of the image editing tools and RAW conversion tools will have to be examined more closely and compared to other software, but at first glance, Aperture looks pretty impressive on these counts.

Tags: Software Mac software Photo editing software Apple Cameras

Apple Aperture 1.5 - First Look originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:00:12 +0100

Fujifilm unabashedly markets the Z3 Zoom squarely at the female market, saying that the technology incorporated into the camera is ideally suited for taking the images that women snap the most – people pictures captured in low-light, presumably on a night out.

It also comes in three women-friendly colours (light pink, metallic blue, and silver), and is the perfect size to slip into a handbag or pocket. Pocket-lint decided to try out the Z3 to see if it’s a case of style over substance, or form and function united.

Unboxing the camera is a joy in itself, as Fujifilm has really gone the extra mile in creating unique packaging for this slim device. The box doesn’t open, but rather offers two trays at either side of the box. In one lies the camera, and underneath, the power cord; Slide the box the other way to find the charging cradle and AV cables. Nicely done.

We got our hands on the silver version, which is a lovely piece of kit indeed, all matte lines and curves. As is becoming standard these days, there’s a 2.5-inch LCD, but no viewfinder, and we have to say that unfortunately, in bright outdoor conditions, it becomes very difficult to view anything on it at all.

The camera powers on and off by sliding the panel at the front to reveal or cover the tiny lens, which doesn’t protrude while zooming. At the top, there’s only the shutter button and a switch to change from still shooting to video capture; all other buttons are at the rear. While the shutter button is ideally placed, the tiny switch is easy to knock or change without realising, leaving you rather confused as to why you’re suddenly shooting video instead of still shots.

This is definitely not a camera for large man-hands, as there’s little room on the back for a big thumb to grip it. The spot for the thumb is over three tiny lights that flash, for example, when writing to the card. Above that are the zoom controls, which are tiny and a bit fiddly, while menu functions are at the bottom.

The camera’s myriad shooting options extend to a Manual mode, which lets you control functions like White Balance, Focus point, and Exposure Compensation, but not Aperture or Shutter Speed directly. However, this camera is aimed at someone who wants quick, one stop Scene modes like Portrait and Landscape and Firework, rather than manual control.

Several standout features on the camera include Anti-Blur, for image stabilisation, and Macro mode, which lets you get just 8cm away from the subject, which is fantastically close for this type of compact.

All that is all very well and good, but what about the images? They offer a rather mixed bag to the trained eye, although to the casual users, we suspect they’d think the 5MP-images are rather good. The main problem is noise. At ISO 64, noise is pretty much invisible, as you would expect, but by ISO 200, problems start to arise.

The issue is less to do with noise than the algorithm that is being used to reduce the noise. Although it successfully removes quite a lot of colour channel noise after the image has been processed in-camera, it also seems to soften the image and possibly resharpen it, creating an odd effect that becomes almost painterly by the time you reach ISO 1600.

However, this shouldn’t put most people off who are interested in this camera. The fact is, most of the images for the average use won’t be printed larger than 4 x 6, except on the odd occasion, and for that, the images will be fine.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras 5 megapixels Fujifilm Digital cameras

Fujifilm FinePix Z3 Zoom digital camera originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:00:11 +0100

Flash drives are a dime a dozen these days. One gig flash drives can be bought for as little as £15, but more robust, solid-feeling models will cost double that or more.

Lexar’s latest offering to the flash drive market is the JumpDrive Firefly, a tiny PC- and Mac-friendly model that comes in a variety of colour-coded cases to indicate the storage capacity, which ranges from 256MB to 4GB.

One of the big selling points for this particular flash drive is that it comes loaded with Google Desktop, Google Toolbar, and Picasa software in a zipped drive. Perhaps it’s a bit churlish to point this out, but the software is available for free online download anyway, so why it’s necessary to bundle it on the flash drive is questionable.

We got our hands on a blue 1GB model to give it a go and see how it performs. The robust-feeling device is only about 2 inches long including the clear plastic cap that protects the USB plug. The cap features a small ring so that it can be kept on a cord or string, or perhaps attached to a key ring.

Once it’s plugged in, its compact shape means that it doesn’t protrude quite as far as most other flash drives, but otherwise it’s mostly unremarkable. Transferring files on to it, however, makes the little blue LED on its rear flash, revealing why it’s been called the Firefly.

The inoffensive zipped Google file isn’t lodged on the flash drive permanently; one dab of the delete key gets rid of it forever.

Tags: Hardware Storage Lexar

Lexar JumpDrive Firefly originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 28 Aug 2006 10:14:27 +0100

Pocket-lint was given the chance to look at a pre-production model of a new device that will offer a the older generation a chance to have a mobile phone without the confusion of a modern day device. With mobile phones becoming more and more confusing how are the older generation suppose to get to grips with a phone that is all singing and all dancing. Surely there are times when you just want a device that allows you to dial your three most important numbers and the emergency services in case anything goes wrong.

It's a condescending approach, but one for some I'm sure is true. There are times that you don't want to be fussed with MP3 players, built-in digital cameras and the latest downloadable games or applications, you just want a phone that does just that, lets you phone people.

In steps Mobi-click, the company behind the SilverPhone. The SilverPhone is a mobile phone that, once configured, allows you to call just three numbers and the emergency services.

The phone's design is simple, but annoyingly bulky and unstylish. The cheap-looking grey box has three large coloured buttons on the front. Those three buttons are the shortcuts for dialling the numbers, when we say you can only dial three numbers we mean it.

In addition to the three numbers, the phone also doubles up as a monitoring service to make sure you are okay, alive and well. The unit can be set to beep at timed intervals requesting an answer to make sure you are still alive. Those beeps actually represent a text message and by replying to them means you can let your loved ones know that you aren't currently under a large piano. Intervals can be set to as often as you wish, however while we are sure to some this will appeal, to others after time just becoming annoying.

Get past the concept, which (don't get us wrong) we approve of and the instigation of the device isn't so idealistic. The setup was a dog, with you needing to mobile phones, passwords to deactivate your sim card's pin code and then a text two set the numbers. The fact that the device is expecting you to have loved ones who care, or more to the point, because you are incompetent is in our book very condescending. Plus those of us with maturing parents who learned to program VCRS and send text messages with ordinary handsets can see them avoiding this like the plague.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Mobile phones SilverPhone

SilverPhone mobile phone originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 27 Jan 2005 06:36:47 +0000