Stuart Miles Reviews Archive

News from Stuart Miles

Results 1 to 25 of 1768.

Imation Pro WX wireless USB hard drive
Can this help de-clutter your desk? 27 November 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Memeo backup software for PC, lets you lose the backup from your desk

The Bad
Only one computer can connect at a time, slow transfer rates, noisy

Verdict
The Imation Pro WX is a one of those products where someone approved it not because there was a need, but because they could.

Price
£300 (450 USD)
Samsung Moment mobile phone
Can Speed win over style? 26 November 2009 8:45 GMT

The Good
AMOLED screen, speed, simplicity will appeal to the inner geek in you

The Bad
Design, slide-out keyboard, lack of customisation

Verdict
This makes the T-Mobile G1 look good and that's saying something

Price
£price dependent on contract
BlackBerry Storm 2 9550 mobile phone
Can this improve on the Storm? 25 November 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Email service, screen quality

The Bad
The SurePress screen is stiff, no multi-touch, OS looking stale, browser

Verdict
The BlackBerry Storm 2 is a vast improvement on the Storm. It's a better hardware design and better software build that gives you a better experience all around

Price
£price dependent on contract
HP Mini 311 notebook
Can this be the HD netbook you've always wished for? 24 November 2009 14:02 GMT

The Good
Nvidia ION chip, screen, design, performance

The Bad
Only does 720p not 1080p, trackpad is okay but not great, £349 is just the starting price

Verdict
This isn't the answer to everything, however if you want to watch or play movies and games on occasion as long as you aren't too demanding then the HP mini should serve you nicely

Price
£349/399
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mobile phone - First Look
Will this be the Android handset to get? 19 November 2009 12:00 GMT

The Good
3.5mm headphone jack, very PS3-like interface

The Bad
Android 1.6, TimeScape looks like Vista Aero

Verdict
So, is this going to be the one Android handset that you wish you waited for? At the moment it's too hard to say

Price
£TBC
Flo TV portable television
TV to go? 18 November 2009 12:00 GMT

The Good
12 channels constantly streaming, easy to use, switching channels is a doddle

The Bad
Can't save programmes to watch later, channel selection isn't that great, resolution could be better

Verdict
A bigger screen, better resolution and more channels are all on our wish list for version 2, however, for now, take this as a first attempt that could easily become better

Price
£$250
Dropbox
Will this kill the USB thumb drive? 16 November 2009 14:37 GMT

The Good
Allows you to sync files to multiple computers, for day-to-day storage 2GB free is more than enough, easy to use, iPhone app

The Bad
You need internet connectivity to sync the files, limited to 2GB for free

Verdict
Storage and sharing files might be boring, but this makes it incredibly easy

Price
£free
CoPilot Live 8 for iPhone
It's cheap, but is it as good as the rest? 16 November 2009 14:21 GMT

The Good
Cheap, fully featured, 7-digit postcode support, Quick Stop feature

The Bad
Routing a bit random at times, usual iPhone GPS issues

Verdict
If you need a satnav, but only on occasion, then at £26 you can't really go wrong

Price
£25
Sonos S5 ZonePlayer speaker system
Will this mean you can finally get a Sonos? 16 November 2009 9:27 GMT

The Good
Setup takes about 5 minutes, sounds good, 25,000 internet radio stations, Music services support, the ability to add another 41 zones

The Bad
You'll need to sit it next to a router unless you buy the ZoneBridge, you'll need to buy the controller or have an iPod touch/iPhone to get the most out of it

Verdict
Where the Sonos S5 succeeds is in its simplicity

Price
£345/$399
Griffin iTrip FM transmitter with iPhone app
iPod to radio in one easy accessory? 13 November 2009 16:08 GMT

The Good
Accompanying free app, SmartScan

The Bad
iTrip itself is fiddly, Doesn't work that well in major metropolitan areas, no charging cable in the box

Verdict
If you really must get your music off your iPhone or iPod on your car stereo then this is the way to do it, just don't expect it to be a perfect experience every time

Price
£39.99
TwitterPeek
What happened to convergence? 13 November 2009 8:58 GMT

The Good
Lets you check Twitter on the go, no monthly data plan, good keyboard

The Bad
Software element slow, Menu and UI at times drawn out

Verdict
While the TwitterPeek isn't for us (we currently have 12 devices on the desk capable of checking twitter) we can see why people might want it

Price
£$99
Griffin MyPhones headphones for children
Blow their socks off? 11 November 2009 16:00 GMT

The Good
Customisable covers, comfortable, volume limiting

The Bad
Not much

Verdict
If you're a parent and need a set of headphones for your little one, these are the ones to get

Price
£30
Griffin PowerDuo Reserve iPhone battery
Will this get you through a busy day? 10 November 2009 14:00 GMT

The Good
Charger allows you to charge another device at the same time via USB

The Bad
Can't really use in your pocket

Verdict
Those looking to boost their iPhone's performance on the go would be better off either opting for the Mophie Juice Pack Air or packing their charging cable with them

Price
£35
Dell Adamo XPS notebook - First Look
Have corners been cut to get it this thin? 5 November 2009 17:00 GMT

The Good
Style, design, kudos, thinness

The Bad
No optical drive, battery life poor

Verdict
One to watch if you are after style and want substance

Price
£$1799
Droid Eris by HTC mobile phone - First Look
Can this better the Sprint HTC Hero? 5 November 2009 14:00 GMT

The Good
Quick, multi-touch, Android, Verizon network, proximity sensor, Sense UI

The Bad
Smaller battery than the Sprint version, not Android 2.0

Verdict
At $80 cheaper than the Sprint offering and the same price as the iPhone 3G this one to consider

Price
£$99
Droid by Motorola mobile phone
Is this the Android handset to own? 30 October 2009 20:09 GMT

The Good
Screen, Verizon network, Wi-Fi, QWERTY keyboard

The Bad
No multi-touch browsing, no emotion

Verdict
This is a fantastic phone, but would we personally choose it over the Hero? Not, if the Hero, as suggested by HTC, will be getting Android 2.0

Price
£$199.99
Apple Magic Mouse
Is this worth the fingering? 30 October 2009 8:38 GMT

The Good
Touch scrolling up and down is a breeze

The Bad
Side swipe is hard to master

Verdict
This is a nice idea and one when we heard the news very tempted by. While touch certainly is the future of the mouse, the Magic Mouse isn't that future just yet

Price
£55
Griffin Simplifi dock
Will this do more than just recharge your Apple gadget? 28 October 2009 12:30 GMT

The Good
Simple, works, CompactFlash support

The Bad
Only two USB sockets

Verdict
It's simple, but it gets the job done.

Price
£50
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta
Do the improvements make it better or worse? 27 October 2009 16:00 GMT

The Good
New features, quicker, more options, flickr support, no current information on whether you'll be able to export catalogue into full version

The Bad
Can't currently import Lightroom 2 catalogue, Not the full package, Beta runs out in 2010

Verdict
Promising, but in its current state you'll find this is a weekend intrigue rather than your new favourite software package until the final version is released.

Price
£Free
Sony S-Frame DPP-F700 digital photo frame - First Look
Can this show off your photos and your prints? 27 October 2009 12:00 GMT

The Good
Can make borderless prints at the press of a button, card reader, nice screen.

The Bad
Form factor, no Wi-Fi, menu system is awkward

Verdict
This really is one of those moments where the end result could have been so much better

Price
£$200
HP SimpleSave 320GB hard drive
Can this take the hassle out of backing up? 26 October 2009 16:00 GMT

The Good
Automatic, simple to use

The Bad
No Mac support

Verdict
Simple by name, simple by nature

Price
£69
Buffalo MiniStation Metro hard drive
Is this robust hard drive up to the fight? 23 October 2009 16:00 GMT

The Good
Looks good, big sizes, price, USB cable tucks inside

The Bad
Not really that robust, large

Verdict
Travellers will like the no cluttered cable approach

Price
£72
Altec Lansing Orbit iM237 USB speaker
Can this improve your laptop's sound? 22 October 2009 12:00 GMT

The Good
Small, powered via USB, good enough for your hotel room

The Bad
Poor bass, distortion at loud volumes

Verdict
This is a way of enhancing your laptops speakers on the cheap rather than making your tunes sound the best they possibly could

Price
£35
Microsoft Zune HD MP3 player
Should you sign up? 16 October 2009 19:05 GMT

The Good
OLED screen, Zune Pass, interface, software, Tegra chip for graphics

The Bad
App selection is week

Verdict
Lots of potential, but at the moment very much a wait and see unless that Zune Pass really is what you're after

Price
£135
Nokia 6790 Surge mobile phone
One for the kids? 16 October 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
QWERTY keyboard, Flash video support

The Bad
Plastic, too many buttons, S60 looks staid

Verdict
As an entry-level phone the S60 sporting Nokia Surge is best described as a mini mini N97 with some of the features stripped out

Price
£Dependent on contract