Chris Hall Reviews Archive

News from Chris Hall

Results 1 to 25 of 527.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60 compact camera
Does this smart compact pack a punch? 26 November 2009 16:44 GMT

The Good
Build quality, iA works well, image stabilisation, battery life

The Bad
Image noise, lacks direct control, price, no HDMI

Verdict
It is a little on the expensive side for the range of controls on offer, but overall it is a competent little camera

Price
£244.99
First ELSE mobile phone - First Look
Looking for something ELSE? 24 November 2009 19:35 GMT

The Good
New interface looks great, meets all the hardware specs,

The Bad
Too soon to tell

Verdict
The proof of the pudding is in the eating and unfortunately it looks like we'll be waiting until spring 2010 before we get our hands on it in the real world

Price
£TBC
Nokia N900 mobile phone
Will this revive Nokia's fortunes? 23 November 2009 15:44 GMT

The Good
Good hardware, bags of potential, multitasking options

The Bad
Battery life, lack of apps, lacks aspect switching

Verdict
The N900 is an extremely capable handset but it needs aspect switching for the home pages, it needs the Flash support enhancing and it needs to develop the app offering. Until these things arrive the N900 is a supporting role, rather than the star of the show

Price
£Dependent on contract
TomTom Car Kit for iPhone
Will this drive you down the convergence path? 20 November 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Boosts GPS reception, built-in speaker, holds phone secure

The Bad
Price

Verdict
For those that must follow through with convergence, this does its part to overcome the GPS reception and small speaker problems that you encounter without it. But once you've parted with the cash, we'd have rather bought an independent TomTom unit with greater functionality

Price
£99.99
HP Envy 15 1060ea notebook
HP goes MacBook crazy 19 November 2009 9:56 GMT

The Good
Plenty of power, sensational design, excellent finish, great keyboard

The Bad
Battery life, spec doesn't match US versions, some fan noise

Verdict
We love what HP have done from a design perspective and the time and effort they have put into creating a great looking notebook will appeal to some users, who will be happy to pay the premium price this notebook commands. For some though, the asking price might just be too high

Price
£1199
GEAR4 PowerPad wireless iPhone charger
Chirpy chirpy charging 19 November 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Charges iPhone at same rate as mains charging, pad looks good

The Bad
Noisy, added bulk from case, price

Verdict
If you can stand the noise and accept the added bulk of the case, then the PowerPad is an effective wireless charging solution for your iPhone

Price
£79.99
Navigon 8410 satnav
Does this satnav impress? 17 November 2009 15:08 GMT

The Good
Bluetooth integration, rich POIs, excellent visuals, great design

The Bad
Media player functions don't work, price

Verdict
Expensive, but excellent design and navigation and comprehensive mobile phone integration

Price
£379.99
BlackBerry Bold 9700 mobile phone
The best BlackBerry yet? 17 November 2009 12:22 GMT

The Good
Hardware, keyboard, screen, email

The Bad
OS lacking integration of existing online or social networking services

Verdict
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the best BlackBerry yet: a very comfortable device to use, delivering its core functions with aplomb

Price
£Dependent on contract
Canon PowerShot S90 digital camera
How much fun can you pack into a compact? 17 November 2009 9:48 GMT

The Good
Creative control options, Control Ring, size, image quality, useful ISO range

The Bad
Video offering a little disappointing, price

Verdict
In the hand the S90 is an absolute delight, the Control Ring flirting with the playful side of photography, putting controls literally at your fingertips

Price
£449
Sony PRS-300 Reader Pocket Edition ebook
300 books in your pocket 17 November 2009 8:42 GMT

The Good
Build quality, easy to use, does exactly what it is supposed to

The Bad
Price, some difficulty with Word documents

Verdict
The PRS-300 isn't cheap, but it looks and feels like a quality device and does what it is supposed to do, which is let you comfortably read your books, without having to lug around a bag of paper copies

Price
£179
Sony PSP Go console
Better or worse than before? 16 November 2009 13:21 GMT

The Good
Great hardware, more compact than previously

The Bad
Loss of UMD drive makes old games useless, no background downloading of games, price

Verdict
For those who were just about to put a PSP on their Christmas list then overall they get a better looking device, with expanded memory, but for us we'll be sticking to the old hardware and our old games

Price
£225
Eye-Fi Share Video wireless SD card
Wi-Fi your digital camera 12 November 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Simple, works with PC and Mac out of the box, instant sharing options, easy setup

The Bad
Price, some photos never arrived

Verdict
We love the technology offered by Eye-Fi and despite a few quirks in the system, we found it cut out lots of connections we'd normally have to make. It may be expensive, but it's impressive none the less

Price
£44
Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) Slim console
Is the time right to buy a PS3? 11 November 2009 12:00 GMT

The Good
Blu-ray player, works as a media hub, quiet, price

The Bad
Controller not the best

Verdict
The PlayStation 3 Slim is an accomplished piece of home entertainment hardware, with something for everyone on offer

Price
£249
Messless charging station
Will this keep your gadget life running? 11 November 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Interesting and useful design, customisable, extra tips can be purchased

The Bad
No Micro-USB as standard

Verdict
An interesting and practical solution to the multi-gadget charging problem, but the default tips won't suit all

Price
£59.99
Ricoh GXR digital camera - First Look
Is this a Micro Four Thirds competitor? 10 November 2009 6:00 GMT

The Good
Build quality, EVF is excellent, slide quality is reassuring

The Bad
Price, new system means limited options

Verdict
From what we've seen from our initial hands-on the idea of changing lens units no longer seems so laughable

Price
£419 (body) + £330 (Ricoh lens)
Medion Life S47000 pocket camcorder
A pocket camcorder to take on the piste? 9 November 2009 12:00 GMT

The Good
Plenty of accessories in the box, price, weather proofing

The Bad
Not the best in terms of video quality

Verdict
Better quality HD or Full HD video is offered by some of the more expensive rivals, but at under £100, the Medion Life S47000 looks like a winner

Price
£99.99
Memorex Sound System iPod dock
Will this bring your music to life? 6 November 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Easy to control, good sound

The Bad
Design a bit on the bland side, no headphone socket, no alarm function

Verdict
You'll be able to get units that are cheaper or have a more interesting design, but there is little go wrong with here

Price
£149.99
HTC HD2 mobile phone
Does Windows Mobile finally make Sense? 3 November 2009 21:52 GMT

The Good
HTC Sense makes Windows Mobile user friendly, Wi-Fi router option is great, fully packed tech specs

The Bad
Might be just too big for some, Windows Market Place still lacking, sharp edge makes calls uncomfortable

Verdict
A giant phone that achieves giant things. It's the best Windows Phone we've ever seen

Price
£Dependent on contract
Liquid Digital Solutions aGent V5 webcam
The best looking webcam ever? 3 November 2009 14:14 GMT

The Good
Looks good, mounting accessories

The Bad
Poor sound quality, no autofocus, dust on sensor

Verdict
You do get a lot in the box, with the various mounting options, but unfortunately the sound quality really let us down. If you are one of those sorts that doesn’t need the sound for whatever reason, you might still be tempted by its glorious looks alone

Price
£57
Vax Mach Air vacuum cleaner
An ideal cleaning tool for smaller homes? 2 November 2009 16:32 GMT

The Good
Compact, great suction, can switch off the brush, lightweight

The Bad
Cable and hose are too short

Verdict
If you are short on space but don't want to compromise on suck, then the Vax Mach Air is an impressive cleaner and will get pretty much anything out of your carpets

Price
£179.99
Sony Ericsson U10i Aino mobile phone
Accesses your PS3, but what else? 2 November 2009 13:35 GMT

The Good
Build and hardware design, BBC iPlayer, PS3 link, DNLA certified, dock and MH100 Bluetooth headphone adapter

The Bad
Operating system looking dated, lacks customisation and app options that rivals offer, battery life, 8MP camera flawed

Verdict
Packed with features and a full set of tech specs, the Aino is a unique offering, but doesn't hang together quite right or offer the flexibility of other premium handsets

Price
£Dependent on contract
BlueLounge Refresh charging station
Will this keep your charging tidy? 30 October 2009 16:12 GMT

The Good
Simple, expandable using your own cables, keeps everything tidy

The Bad
The top is only held in place by gravuity, it is expensive

Verdict
The price is the biggest stumbling block for the BlueLounge Refresh, which otherwise does what it says on the tin

Price
£69.99
INQ Mini 3G mobile phone
Social mobiling on a budget? 29 October 2009 15:24 GMT

The Good
Social network integration, affordable, HSDPA

The Bad
Poor keyboard, no 3.5mm jack, no FM radio, could take a step further with integration

Verdict
For those who want a compact and affordable phone, which offers the integration of the major social networks, then the INQ Mini 3G is well worth a look. But do try the keyboard as we found this the most annoying aspect of the device

Price
£Dependent on contract
LG W2230S monitor
Will this brighten up your computer? 27 October 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Great design, small foot print, colour options

The Bad
Lacks connectivity, no swivel

Verdict
We like the size and simplicity and it's inoffensive footprint makes it a great partner for a netbook or nettop PC where space is limited.

Price
£160
Apple Mac mini 2.53GHz
An ideal starter Mac? 23 October 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Compact design, near silent operation, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and plenty of power

The Bad
No SD card slot, USB slots close

Verdict
So there are few niggles with the Mac mini. It's the usual seamless operation we've come to expect from Apple. You take it out of the box and it just works. With the upgrades coming in at the same prices as the last versions, the new Mac mini looks very tempting indeed

Price
£649